G.O.A.T sacrifices this time: AR Rahman breaks silence on Chennai concert mismanagement, asks fans to reach out

Celebrated music composer AR Rahman addresses Chennai concert issues after receiving flak for poor management. The musician asked fans to reach out to his team with their grievances.

Hyderabad:Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman has finally responded to the claims of mismanagement and overcrowding at his recent concert. Addressing the concerns, Rahman offered to assist fans who were unable to attend his concert in Chennai. On Monday afternoon, Rahman took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and urged followers to send a picture of their tickets as well as their complaints about the venue. The Academy Award-winning composer promised that his team would address the issues as quickly as possible.

AR Rahman took to X to apologise for the incident at his Marakuma Nenjam event on September 10. People who were unable to enter the arena despite having legitimate tickets were asked to submit their complaints to his team. He also pledged to reimburse as many people were barred from entering.

“Dearest Chennai Makkale, those of you who purchased tickets and weren’t able to enter owing to unfortunate circumstances, please do share a copy of your ticket purchase to arr4chennai@btos.in along with your grievances. Our team will respond asap🙏@BToSproductions @actcevents," he posted.

Sharing the tweet on Instagram, he wrote: "🙏🤲🏼 some people call me G.O.A.T …………let me be the sacrificial goat this time for all of us to wake up ..let chennai’s live art flourish with a world class infrastructure,increase in tourism, efficient crowd management,traffic management ,refining audiences to follow rules ..creating a safe and surreal experience for children and women ..Triggering a cultural renaissance at chennai celebrating our deserving ,illuminated local and international talent ! 🕊️✌️."

The post came just hours after ACTC Events apologised to fans who couldn't make it to the show. "Thank you, Chennai, and the legendary @arrahman Sir! The large crowd and the fantastic reception made our show a huge success. We apologise to those who were unable to attend due to overcrowding. We accept complete responsibility and accountability. We stand by you. #MarakkumaNenjam," the organisers wrote on Twitter. Rahman shared the post without a caption.

AR Rahman's concert, which took place on September 10 at Adityaram Palace in Chennai, was criticised for poor organisation. Rahman collaborated with ACTC Events for the concert. Earlier, it was scheduled for August 12, but was cancelled due to heavy rain. The rescheduled concert was held on September 10th.

The event was billed as India's largest concert, with 50,000 people expected to attend. However, due to overcrowding, several individuals were denied access to the stadium hours before the show. People with tickets congregated around the gate, resulting in a stampede-like scene. Many ladies are said to have been violated in the crowd. Children and the elderly were displaced.