From music to mayhem

Date: 8 Jul 2003 22:23:41 -0700
Newsgroups: soc.culture.punjab,soc.culture.tamil,soc.culture.indian,soc.culture.bengali,soc.culture.pakistan
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From music to mayhem
By Saman Malik A hotly anticipated concert featuring the band Noori falls prey to
crowd trouble.
An uncontrollable crowd; a concert that ended in disaster; a multitude
of music fans left disappointed and heartbroken -- the Noori concert,
Suno kay main hoon jawan, held recently on a Saturday behind the
Marina Club in Karachi, started off as one of this month's most hyped
events, yet ended up as its biggest letdown.
The concert kicked off a customary three hours late, with a cover of
an old Allan Fakir song by the opening band, M-Live. While the band
played a couple more unfamiliar songs, the crowd remained restless and
uninterested and it was only Noori's much-awaited arrival that sent
the audience into a frenzy as the concert finally got under way. A
massive surge of music drowned the consequent roar of applause and
cheering as one of the hottest acts of the local music scene
kick-started the night with their hit Punjabi number.
At first glance, the security seemed tight enough, with barbed wire
fences separating the men's section from the family section. However,
despite the security, 20 feet of space and barbed wire again
partitioning the audience from the stage, enthusiastic and energized
Noori fans managed to override the blockade and filled up the pit in
front of the stage within mere minutes.
The audience, which was primarily made up of young boys and girls, was
ensnared from the very first song. Though the majority of the crowd
was engaged in the music and enjoying themselves to no end, there were
the rowdy few who kept climbing on top of the stage and had to be
carried off. Ali Noor's repeated pleas to keep their distance were
ignored and as hard as he tried, the singer was not able to control
the crowd.
Just as the concert started to swing and Noori were halfway through
their fifth number, Bol, their performance was abruptly jerked to a
halt as the sound went off. While the band members and organizers were
trying to figure out what had happened the crowd, filling a sold-out
concert hall, settled to a low buzz until it became evidently clear
that Noori was not going to play anymore that night. Apparently, the
backstage wires had been cut and burnt by gatecrashers who had
allegedly been let in by the police for a small fee of Rs50, which had
led to the failure of the sound system. So much for being able to rely
on security anymore.
It was then that the mayhem began, with the audience desperately
trying to make their way to the gates. A chaotic stampede ensued,
clearly marking the end of the concert, which was made even worse by
security guards trying to 'control' matters. Disappointment at the way
things turned out was not only faced by the audience, the organizers
and Noori themselves, but also by the young fans who had won the Kaun
banay ga Noori contest and were meant to play with the band that
night. Indian pop star Anaida was also supposed to make a surprise
appearance.
An evening, which many had been looking forward to, very quickly
turned into an ugly situation, perhaps due to the inexperience of the
organizers and the incompetence of the security. However shaken this
experience has left most, one sincerely hopes that music fans are
standing strong for their love of music and for the sake of the rising
music scene in Pakistan, and gearing themselves up for the next big
concert. Let's hope the next one goes off without a hitch.