Concerts for the youth of Pakistan are a much-awaited source of entertainment, with young people taking up jobs to save money in order to watch their favourite artists perform live. But the recent concert, which took place on November 1 at Moin Khan Academy, Karachi, was a great source of disappointment for them.
A concert festival was organized by Prism Events & Tours. The concert, which was eagerly awaited, had the names of top artists of the music industry, Atif Aslam, and the renowned bayan was also to perform at this concert. What was to be a night of music and festivity soon turned into chaos and frustration for the concertgoers.
Delays and Mismanagement of Time Trying to Organise Things
According to the audience, the concert suffered from dire mismanagement from the start. Many people were heard complaining that they had to wait in long lines for more than two and half hours just to be able to enter the area of the concert venue. Despite buying expensive tickets, the fans had to stand outside and became bewildered as to where to go, as they were not being told what arrangements were being made by the organizers.
There were also complaints of rude behaviour of the staff of the event, and they were unhelpful to them in doing anything to make things better for the large audience of concertgoers. They were of the opinion that it was a very poorly timed, managed, poorly organized, and brutalized concert and was one of the worst managed concerts of recent times.
Technical Issues and Bad Sound Quality
The problems continued into the show once it started. Several patrons complained that the sound quality was so poor that they could hardly hear the entertainer Atif Aslam’s voice, even in the VIP zone. The premium ticket holders who paid additional money for their tickets felt the experience wasn’t worth it, noting the lack of nearby kiosks and poor sound as the reasons. There are many posts on social media with videos & photos of irate fans complaining of sound distortion and lack of voice on the entertainers’ previous appearances.
Frustration of audiences & social media rippling backlash
The concert has now drawn much criticism on the social media scene. Observers on these sites were posting about their disappointment is the details on the management of this concert. One write-up termed it a “total mess”. Another noted that Prism Events & Tours had continued the same lines of management practice for some time. Fans criticized on the quality shown by Atif Aslam. They said he appeared tired and unable to produce the same energy and charisma he has been previously noted for.
Continually problems & calls for accountability
It has not been the first time Prism Events has been the subject of criticism of its concert management. Many people spoke to the criteria where complaints were continually voiced in years past, raising questions about the capability of this company to manage larger concert appearances.
The Karachi show has reignited the embers of discussion about the safety of concerts, the audience, management, and accountability in the working of Pakistan’s amusement business. The fans are called upon now to see better management planning, better sound systems working in, and a greater degree of comfort and safety in the audience’s area for the next opportunity.
