Avid fans of South African multi-talent Trevor Noah in Bengaluru were left in dismay as his much-anticipated Off the Record tour stop in India, which was to take place at the Manpho Convention Centre on Wednesday evening, took an unexpected turn that led to its cancellation. The event was marked by a series of mishaps. Noah briefly graced the stage to conduct a sound check himself before announcing via social media that he was “forced to cancel both shows” (September 27-28).
Audience Uproar and Mismanagement
The evening’s troubles began with a delay in the scheduled 7.30pm opening time, attributed to Noah’s late arrival due to traffic. The delay, combined with acoustic issues, left many attendees dissatisfied. Complaints also arose regarding the hygiene of the washrooms and the lack of adequate ventilation inside the venue.
“It was extremely hot inside the venue. It’s a shame that this happened! He tried to fix it himself, but this solely occurred due to the lack of management,” shared Spoorthi Venkatesh, a city-based consultant and attendee.
Opening act Wilner Sylvince, a New York-based comedian, had to truncate his set as audience members seated at the back struggled to hear.
Many claimed that they had informed the event management of the issue, but no action was taken.
An official announcement of the cancellation was made at the venue around 9pm, with promises of ticket refunds within eight to 10 working days. The chaos extended beyond technical troubles, as a member of the audience fainted due to mismanagement and the increasing heat.
{{/usCountry}}An official announcement of the cancellation was made at the venue around 9pm, with promises of ticket refunds within eight to 10 working days. The chaos extended beyond technical troubles, as a member of the audience fainted due to mismanagement and the increasing heat.
{{/usCountry}}“My family and I travelled all the way from Sri Lanka for this show. Our hotel is about an hour and a half away from this venue. It’s just annoying that the promoters had one job (sound check) and they didn’t do anything,” expressed a disappointed fan.
Criticism also extended to the choice of venue. Shriya K, a student and attendee, said, “This is not the kind of venue that should host a stand-up comedy show! There was no ventilation. Although Trevor was kind to come on stage and make an effort to fix the sound, the management should have taken care of that much earlier. Being the IT capital of the country, it’s really sad that this happened.”