The Trevor Noah shows in Bengaluru on September 27 and 28 were cancelled as the acoustics in the auditorium were below par and the 3000 odd people who gathered at the Manpho auditorium near Manyata Tech Park in Nagavara could hardly hear the comedian. While Trevor Noah came on stage twice and apologised, and assured that all tickets would be refunded, an apology from BookMyShow came only later in the night.
“Bengaluru, we are extremely sorry for the inconvenience caused at Trevor Noah’s Off The Record show at Manpho Convention Centre on September 27th. The Bengaluru leg of the India Tour for both September 27th & 28th stands cancelled. All customers who purchased tickets for both shows will get a complete refund within 8-10 working days. We deeply regret this experience that our valuable customers faced and hope to be able to bring Trevor back to this amazing city at the earliest,” BookMyShow said in a statement.
BookMyShow and other organisers have been slammed by many who attended the show for choosing a venue that had bad access roads, poor parking, lack of coordinators on ground and basic facilities. The auditorium which can apparently seat 4000 people had no elevated seating and people had to strain to see the stage. With the acoustics also failing, the show turned out to be a non-starter and a hit on brand Bengaluru.
Tech entrepreneur Ashok Karanth who attended the show questioned the choice of the venue and wrote, “Entry to the venue needed a QR code scan - all high-tech. One small issue - there was no mobile data access at the venue. No internet, no QR code. The auditorium is a glorified Amazon warehouse! One large hall with no elevation, no stadium seating. We were in the eye-strain seats in row AZ - no, really. We paid Rs. 4500/- for that. What were we thinking?”
“8500 for tickets and I’m sitting in a dvd tent with J(ai)B(havani)L(td) speakers. And no AC! It’s a joke. The organisers need to be sued. And I have even more respect for @Trevornoah than I did before. True professional!” another X user said.