Trevor Noah.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Standup comedian and former talk show host Trevor Noah’s much-touted Bengaluru show on Wednesday, one of the two in the series, was cancelled amid chaotic scenes and audience outrage over abysmal venue standards, from poor sound system to nearly absent air conditioning and flat seating.
Protests from the audience triggered by poor acoustics at the venue – the Manpho Convention Centre in Manyata Tech Park, Nagavara – led the organisers to call the event off, about 50 minutes after a delayed start. The no-show left many in the audience fuming and worried about how it could hamper the city’s claim to host international acts in the future. As for Noah, he said, looking exasperated, this was his first such experience.
The Emmy-winning comedian was scheduled to take the stage at 7.30 pm. The show opened about 40 minutes behind schedule, with an opening act, even as people were walking in after getting stuck in unusually slow-moving traffic on ORR and nearby areas. Some said it took them 2 hours to cover 2 km. Some walked the last leg of their trip as the traffic wasn’t moving.
The opening act by an international artiste threw up signs of what was to come. The audience in the rear sections of the hall – with about 3,000 seats – complained that they were not able to hear the lines. When Noah started his act, the audience at the back started shouting "We can't hear".
Noah took the complaint in his stride and tried with the sound managers to get things right. He took a break and returned after five minutes but to more “we can’t hear” protestations.
Soon, Noah himself announced that the show could not go on with the available sound quality and promised tickets would be refunded. Some fans thought he was joking while some wondered if they would be accommodated on the Thursday show. The formal cancellation of the show came almost an hour later over a public address system.
The performance hall after the audience left. People complained of poor sound system, almost absent air conditioning, flat seating, sooty air vents, and overall the hall being unfit of holding an international act of this standard. Washrooms at the venue were abysmal.
Credit: DH Photo
However, two sets of people said that while they were seated at the back, they could hear him "just fine".
Members of the audience felt that the venue, a convention hall, was unfit to host an international event and was a let-down for an artiste as big as Noah. People were seen getting out of the hall to beat the “extremely warm” interiors. Flat seats with minimal leg space, sooty AC vents and unclean washrooms made it worse for the audience who paid between Rs 3,000 and Rs 12,500 for the tickets.
Noah cited “technical issues” for the cancellation. “We tried everything but because the audience can’t hear the comedians on stage there’s literally no way to do a show. We’ll make sure all ticket holders receive a full refund and again I’m so sorry for both the inconvenience and disappointment. This has never happened to us before,” he posted on X.
Past midnight, the organisers at BookMyShow announced on X that they are cancelling Noah's Bengaluru leg of the tour, including the show on Thursday. ."..hope to be able to bring Trevor back to this amazing city at the earliest," they added in the post.
Naveen Kumar, a businessman and an IIM Bangalore alumnus, said – “There must be some template for international shows like this. How could they get it so wrong? The acoustics were bad. They packed hundreds of people in a cage-like venue. The furniture was thin and not cushy. A standup act is mostly an audio-centric show but we didn't hear any sound checks before the show. Refunding is easy but when will we see an act like this in the city? My 15-year-old daughter is so disappointed. I came to the show only because she is a fan."
Kumar’s friend said the organisers should be "sued for wasting their time, fuel, and expectations”.
People waiting for organisers to announce if the show is on or not.
Credit: DH Photo
Traffic chaos
The show took off on a false note with many in the sellout audience failing to make it to the venue on time. People who took the ORR and connecting roads were delayed by hours. Commentator and TV presenter Charu Sharma said he had to travel about two and a half hours from Karnataka Golf Association to reach the venue. It was his birthday and Noah show a gift to himself. He wasn't upset with the prospects of cancellation as he said misadventures happen all the time.
Fans disappointed
A fan had come to the show all the way from Sri Lanka while another had taken a half-day leave from work to be able to come from Electronic City. One fan had carried Noah's book 'Born a Crime' along hoping she would meet him and get it signed.