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Enrique..

Dec 21 2015.

Enrique Live in Colombo!

Enrique Iglesias, widely regarded as the King of Latin Pop, performed for the first time in Sri Lanka on Sunday (20 December 2015). Ever since news went around that the Spanish singing sensation was expected to perform in Sri Lanka, his fans were beyond excited. The craze to at least be present at the venue was also quite evident with the rate at which tickets were sold out. However much to the dismay of the spectators, several mishaps on the part of the organising team led to the event being a less than entertaining one.

The viewers were expected to be at the CR&FC Grounds by 7pm as suggested by the event page. Yet they had been queuing up from 5pm. The queues were as long as one could imagine them to be. Despite the fact that the queues were long, the fans seemed excited. With the hope that the event would start at least by 7.30 pm, the fans were seen patiently waiting outside the grounds.

Time rolled on to 8pm but there was no sign of the event starting although the crowd had crashed through the entrance running to get a place where they could catch a good glimpse of Enrique himself.

Occasional sound checks were done and at 9 pm the backstage crew was still checking the lighting system. Added to the inconveniences, there was no compere at the event. The crowd had to wait impatiently staring at the stage every passing minute just to see a sign that it was starting.

10pm and the only 'entertainment' in the ground was some light DJ music.

Finally, at around 10.30 pm, the band suddenly appeared on stage and Iglesias was on stage taking the crowd by storm. Some of his popular hits such as ‘Hero’, ‘Bailando’, ‘I know you want me’, ‘Bailamos’ and many more tracks were performed despite the uncomfortable atmosphere in which the crowd had to be in.

The event finally drew to an end by 12am with no announcement whatsoever.

Judging from the Live Events Facebook page, it seems the one most affected by the mismanaged concert were the VIP and VVIP ticket holders, who, despite having paid a lot of money, weren’t treated well.

Most 5000 LKR ticket holders seem to have gotten more than they paid for, by getting to go right to the front and occupy the VVIP areas.

Below are some comments from the Live Events facebook page.

Review by Kamanthi Wickramasinghe

Promises vs Reality - Enrique Live in Colombo

VVIP ticket holders at Enrique Iglesias' 'Sex and Love' concert were promised a multitude of perks by the organisers, Live Events, for the 35000 rupees that they were paying per ticket. These included an exclusive VIP enclosure with an unlimited supply of beer, a complimentary glass of wine on arrival and a VVIP entrance with easy access to the concert grounds.

Unfortunately, very few of these perks actually materialised on the day and basic organisation such as the enforcement of enclosures and entrances for different ticket categories was a failure and because of it, the night didn't live up to expectations. There was a general consensus that Enrique's performance was outstanding but many were unable to enjoy it fully. Live Events have since released a statement apologising and have taken full responsibility for the lack of organisation and inadequate security at the event.

EXPECTED VVIP TICKET PERKS	REALITY
VIP Enclosure	There was one but not enforced as other tickets categories were allowed in.
VIP lounge with access to Wine and Champagne	If a lounge was there, the VIP ticket holders were not informed about it.
Exclusive stage front standing area	There was one but not enforced as other ticket categories were allowed in.
Complimentary glass of wine on arrival of the VIP enclosure	No
Free unlimited beer	Not enough
Separate bar counter	Yes
Access to VIP lounge and bar	VIP ticket holders were not informed about if it was there.
Access to premium food stalls	There were food stalls however they were available to all ticket categories.
Cocktail tables for eating/drinking	Yes
Raffle Draw- meet and greet for 2	No

VIP entrance

Comments from some VIP/VVIP ticket holders

Kimarli Fernando - The show was a monumental disaster on all fronts - including the performer! There were huge health and safety issues and the venue was not properly managed. The artist was substandard.

Shiromal - It is great that Sri Lanka was able to enjoy a performance from an artist of this caliber and I admire the organisers for being able to source a performer of such a high standard. The concert was wonderful however it was let down by the lack of organisation.

Abbas Esufally - The performance itself was great, as is expected from such a performer. The delay in starting and the lack of communication with the audience was the main flaw of the event.

Krys - Enrique was fabulous and a great performer. But the lack of proper security and crowd control was shocking. Nowhere in any decent country do Bronze, Silver and Gold ticket holders get to break through and come into the VIP section. It is a wonder no one got hurt in that melee. These people should first go for international concerts and learn how to handle it without being pandithayas and putting lives at risk.

Angeline Ondaatjie - There was no organisation and the whole event was a disaster. The VIP line was disorganised and there was no one to direct people to the appropriate areas. I had to climb over barriers to get in and once I did, I was made to wait for 2 hours until Enrique finally came on stage. Once the concert started, people pushed themselves forward and I didn't stay for the entire concert because it was too uncomfortable. The performance itself was subpar as Enrique didn't seem to have his heart in it. The opportunity cost of attending the concert was much greater than the price of the ticket.

Rashmi Devendra Ukwatte - To the organisers of the most expensive and the worst show EVER, performed in Sri Lanka, It had been a disaster from the very beginning where there were huge queues to get in and only the people who jumped the queue cold get into the venue. The people queuing just stayed there for hours. The show was supposed to start at 7 and it actually started at 10. There was no opening act, (which would have made the 3/4 hour wait more bearable), no explanation was given by anyone as to the reasons for the delay. A great deal of frustration could have been averted if Sangakara/Mahela got on stage and apologized. Sri Lankans are very forgiving lot, a word from their cricketing heroes would have appeased the crowd, to an extent. When the show actually stared around 10 pm, the police and the people manning the entrances just looked the other way, while the hoards who had bought cheap tickets just flooded the 'exclusive' 35,000k VIP section.

The so called benefits of buying 35,000k tickets were none existent. A free glass of champagne/wine on arrival, elevated covered platform in case of rain...etc. None of the people working there seem to know anything about....anything.

When Enrique did finally did start...the sound was terrible, unless one stood directly in front of the Centre stage. The man himself did not sing much, he was lip syncing most of the time. At one point he bent over to tie his shoe lace (with no mike in hand) but his voice continued to sing...

His back up girl singer was fabulous and Enrique is such a good looking guy he almost managed to pull it off, with just a very little bit of incoherent chatter and a lot of waving of his arms.

But for those of us who did NOT get free VIP passes, but bought our own 35000k tickets...this was day light robbery. 30,000k refund would be a good idea since I personally had the same benefits as the 5000k ticket holders...since none of us drank beer either...

Annika Nainani - As a true Enrique Iglesias fan I was ecstatic when I heard that he would be performing in Colombo on the 20th of December. I was certain he wouldn’t turn up! After all rarely do we get good concerts in Sri Lanka and it’s usually artists that have long retired with one foot in the grave that turn up to perform in Colombo, with the exception of a few good musicians like Lionel Richie, Taio Cruz and Sean Paul. Like most, I too hit the ceiling when I initially saw the ticket prices - As. 5000/- being the cheapest and Rs.35,000/- being the most expensive. That’s $300 a ticket; much more than what I would have paid for in Dubai or Singapore for Golden Circle Front of Stage tickets. For JLO in Dubai I paid $200’s (Golden Circle VIP) and for Rihanna in Abu Dhabi I paid $240 (Golden Circle VIP) and $150’s for Golden Circle VIP to see Lady Gaga in Singapore. Britney Spears in London at the 02 - £80 for VIP Seats.

Being an avid concert goer I was quite surprised at the high prices but being a true Enrique fan I decided it would be worth it plus I would be saving on Flights and Accommodation costs! Read the poster and decided will go with the Rs. 35,000/- price tag - complimentary glass of wine on arrival, separate entry and exit gate, unlimited free beer, sounded good! Also to be informed by the organizers that the VIP section would include an elevated platform, a marquee (yay! Don’t have to worry about the rains!) and a separate front of stage area - all sounded good. So imagine my horror when I walked in at 7pm only to be left outside till almost 8pm in a huge jam! VIP entrance was badly manned and managed. Massive ques; not fun. Stood and got pushed and shoved before finally making my way in. No complimentary glass of wine, no elevated platform, no marquee - sigh. My friends who walked in after 9pm still had their tickets intact; there was no one manning the gates! Met people I knew and started moving towards the stage wanting to secure a decent spot. 8pm became 9pm and 9pm soon became 10pm - no sign of Enrique, no announcement from the organizers, nothing! Not even some DJ music to keep us distracted. We were bored! We were tired! We were annoyed! Clearly that didn’t matter to the organisers. Not one apology for the long delay. People were getting drunk and becoming quite unruly. Bums were getting pinched, vulgar comments being made, placards being set on fire and what more? Even a fight broke off. Agitated and angry the crowd soon started booing but still no reaction from the organisers.

A simple message from Kumar Sangakkara or Mahela Jayawardene would have made a difference. But nope nothing. Finally after a three and a half hour wait my heartthrob decides to make an appearance. Terrible sound but at least he was hot! Lip synced his way through the entire event - yes we noticed it when he left his mike and walked out of stage and the song was still playing, and when he bent to tie his shoelaces forgetting that the song was still on! His ryhthm certainly wasn’t divine! I was ok with all this until the Rs. 5000/- ticket holders were all allowed to come into the Rs. 35,000/- section! Imagine the horror! Suddenly we were being pushed, shoved and felt up by mobs of excited drunk men pushing their way into the front. The place became so overcrowded we could barely breathe. I thought I would suffocate and faint! How could the organisers be so irresponsible. How can they allow Rs. 5000/- ticket holders into the Rs. 35,000/- section. What a rip off. I should have just bought the Bronze tickets. What an absolute waste. Felt like a real fool. I was ready to walk off! Couldn’t see a thing after the first song. Disappointed but determined to make the most of it, I stayed on till the abrupt end - he left stage within 90 minutes despite having announced he would perform for 120 minutes.

Enrique mentioned on stage that he would be entertaining us for the next two hours but oh well he left in exactly 90 minutes. Waited for almost ten minutes hoping for an encore but no that was it. The band members soon came back on stage and started dismantling their equipment. The much awaited concert was over in a ‘heartbeat’ and I think it’s safe to say this was indeed the worse international artist concert to be held in Sri Lanka. Badly organised. No proper security. No proper health and safety measures were taken. No ambulance on standby. No medical emergency unit on stand by. Not even a compere to address the crowd. And the icing on the cake? Been 48 hours since the concert and no apology from the organizers for the delay or the mismanagement of the entire event. Social Media has been active and many attendees vented their anger on Facebook and Twitter, and the official Event Page (LiveEvents.LK) have been inundated with negative comments. Very very disappointed with the entire event! Never again will I be going for any concert organised by Live Events.

Text by Upeksha Hettiarachchi

Meanwhile, Live Events issued the following apology on their facebook page

Dear Concertgoers,

Live Events was launched because we wanted to try and bring truly world-class performers to Sri Lanka. Whilst we have received many messages of appreciation for the performance of Enrique Iglesias, who provided over 90 minutes of spectacular entertainment last night, we are also aware and saddened by the fact that many people were terribly inconvenienced by some significant shortcomings that negatively impacted their overall concert experience.

In particular, words cannot express how deeply sorry we are for the long delays to enter the venue afterwhich to wait for an event scheduled to start at 8pm. Unfortunately, events beyond our control forced us to delay the early opening of the gates. Had we been able to open the gates and enter the fans as planned then the queues would have been minimized. We also accept that the reason to postpone the opening of the gates and the delay could have been better communicated.

We are also aware that when Enrique did start playing there was a major security failure with people without valid tickets entering the VIP and Platinum areas. This is a grave concern for us and we again apologize for the inconvenience caused. The security plans made before the event were not properly executed and we have to take full responsibility for this.

We would like to add that we are very appreciative of the fact that despite these shortcomings everyone waited and queued so patiently.

We will be working hard to overcome our shortcomings and work hard towards meeting the highest standards of quality we have set for ourselves. Standards that you very rightly expect to be the norm for our organization.

We are currently evaluating the most appropriate course of corrective action.

Thank you,

Live Events