The God That Failed

As I sit here in my home typing this, Metallica are in all probability, setting the stage on fire at Bengalooru. To say that I am depressed would be an exaggeration. However, I am certainly frustrated on missing out on the concert and extremely angry at DNA Networks and Metallica. Most of all, I have an overwhelming feeling of being cheated. That just does not go away.I feel like this naive village idiot who has been swindled for all his money's worth. It will pass with time (hopefully). But as far as Metallica are concerned, they can sod off. Ulrich and co have behaved like a right bunch of pansies not having the courage to face up to the crowd.

Looking back, the whole event at Delhi was a farce. DNA Networks and Metallica have taken us for a ride and no, I am not saying this out of spite. Let us just look at the facts. The gates were to open at 3:00 PM and the opening act was to start at 4:00 PM. Metallica themselves, would have started at 7:00 PM had everything gone as per plan. This is what really happened:

1. Gates opened at 4:15 PM. Nothing really explains this. For an event of this scale, everything should be set up a day in advance. Also, a delay of 75 minutes would mean a complete mess of the schedule. Usually even if the opening act is delayed, it is in the favor of the organizers to let fans come in, especially when people are crowding at the gates. Besides, opening gates in advance prevents bottlenecking.

2. Fans were asked to sit down - Who does that at a Metal Concert? At least to me, this is unprecedented. Could it be that it was already decided that the event is not going to happen. I suppose from the organizer's perspective, it would have been relatively easier to manage the reaction to the fateful announcement if people were sitting down. Nothing else explains this inexplicable (and constant) announcement.

3. DNA have prior experience - Surely, the DNA knew how fans behave at a metal concert. Fans pushing the barricades is nothing new. It happened at the Iron Maiden concert as well. If they were serious, they would have put the measures in place.

4. Metallica did not even make it to the backstage at the time of the concert - This to me, hurts the most. At the Iron Maiden concert (Bangalore, 2007) Bruce Dickinson spoke from back-stage when the barricades needed to be repaired. As one would expect, fans co-operated. Here some Metallica crew member decided that it would be appropriate to call 25,000 fans butt-heads. This after a comic performance by a guy who looked lika a well-qualified moron. Why did not Hetfield or Ulrich speak to the crowd from backstage? Why did they not go to backstage? Was this piece of trick so difficult to imagine for the organizers? After all, they have seen this work before.

This whole thing stinks of laxity from the organizers AND the band. Metallica, a musical illustration of a cash-cow, seem to be taking their fans for granted. There needs to be bit more preparation when you are performing in a country for the first time. Metallica had a show in Abu Dhabi on 25th October; they landed in Delhi on 28th October noon. They were not even at the venue when fans were suffering in the dust and sweat. Barricades, the most rudimentary of equipments, can be repaired by unskilled laborers. That cannot be the sole reason for cancellation. The real reasons for the non-show, we will probably never know. However, answers to the following questions might help us understand the seriousness with which Metallica and their management approached the Delhi concert

1. What time did the Metallica crew land in Delhi? Did they check the facilities well in advance so that there was ample time for modifications?

2. What time did Metallica land in Delhi? Iron Maiden, if I remember correctly, reached the city at least one day in advance.

3. Did their support musicians do proper soundchecks during the day? Fans camping at the venue should be able to answer this question.

4. Why did the organizers open the gates more than an hour late? There has to be a reason for this

5. Why did the organizers ask the fans to sit down at the venue?

This is not about the money spent for the tickets. This not about Metallica failing Delhi. This about the Metallica failing fans who had travelled to Delhi from across the country, and in some cases abroad. Not all fans have the luxury of being alright with losing money spent on travel and stay. In a country where teens dominate metal demographics, most fans would have been felt the pain financially. I cannot even start to fathom the emotional investment many would have made in the band only to be let down at the last moment. Fans would have dreamed of singing along to 'Nothing Else Matters' since the day the gig was announced. It is a utter disgrace. A proverbial middle finger to us fans who stood there like fools with hope. As I was traveling back to the Delhi airport, my friend who had accompanied me turned on his MP3 player to listen to some music. The first song that played could not have been more appropriate - 'The God That Failed' by Metallica

Rant over!