Blues for Bandland

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

Dear BookMyShow Team

We know all your answers, and we understand your plight. Bandland, the two-day festival in Bengaluru, was cancelled after Muse backed out. John Mayer's January 22 show in Mumbai was postponed to February 11 because of unavoidable circumstances. You tried your best to salvage the situation. The economics weren't working out. You will give a refund. You apologise.

Great. We accept your reasons. All are valid. But is the matter over?

Look at the rock fan's plight. If they were from Mumbai they would have booked their Bengaluru flights and accommodation for Bandland in advance. Likewise with people from Delhi or Kolkata who already booked their John Mayer tickets. Getting a refund from the airline would mean a loss of Rs 8,000 or more. If they had booked their hotels, there would be a further loss. So anybody coming in from other cities - and there's a pretty large number, we're sure - would lose a substantial sum for no fault of their own. No matter how valid your reasons are, who will compensate for that? Also, since the proposed Bandland dates were clashing with the Mahindra Blues Festival in Mumbai, managed by Hyperlink, quite a few people would have chosen Bandland over that, and are now having to re-jig their plans. 

Let's come to Muse. Okay, they even cancelled South Africa and their reasons may be genuine. But there were 14 other acts scheduled to play at Bandland, including international groups like Karnivool, Train and James & The Cold Gun, besides many promising Indian bands, including Scribe and Girish & The Chronicles. Karnivool has a reasonably good following, and we're sure there would be a huge bunch who would have longed to watch them. And what was the probable reason given to these bands - "Dudes, Muse isn't there and we don't think you guys are good enough. So better stay at home"?

Something doesn't quite add up. There are rumours that ticket sales were low, and that's why the festival was canned. But many people, specially local residents, buy them closer to the event. You also say you couldn't find a suitable replacement at the last minute. Isn't there a Plan B, or is that a concept reserved only for management textbooks?

Bandland has always been a rich and rewarding experience. The first two years had some great acts and a reasonably large audience. Old-timers saw Deep Purple in 2023. The kind of response Avenged Sevenfold and Extreme got in 2024 was to be seen to be believed. Parikrama, Thaikuddam Bridge and Zero all had great shows at Bandland. The sound, the ambience, the crowd, everything rocked. Why should one band's cancellation upset the applecart?

Regarding Mayer, he has many fans in India, including this blogger. And he may have his reasons too. But to postpone a show just a week in advance upsets the schedules of many. Surely there must be some terms and conditions that need to be adhered to, and a commitment to give the audience first priority. Or least convince the fan the reason for postponing was serious enough.

The next couple of months will see a lot of activity at your end. Lollapalooza is happening in Mumbai on January 24 and 25. Biggies like Def Leppard and Scorpions are doing multi-city tours. You're undoubtedly doing a great job by bringing down such acts, and we know it's a mammoth task. But can we be ascertained there are no cancellations or postponements, as people would have already started making plans? That Bandland and Mayer are only isolated cases? Or the cancellation of the Smashing Pumpkins gigs by another organiser was also a rare instance?

A lot is happening and to use everyone's favourite line, the "concert economy" is booming. Yes, for the organisers, the economics come into play, some artistes charge a bomb and infrastructure is expensive. But from a rock fans' perspective, the tickets and the extras don't come cheap. Not everyone in India has the financial capacity to shell out huge sums for every band that comes and then suddenly be told their dream won't come true. 

Every rock fan and promoter wants the show to go on. If there are serious obstacles at this point, viable solutions are needed. It's better not to cause inconvenience than to regret it. And given the setbacks, hope things are straightened out in future. For music's sake.

Yours sinc-ear-ly