Singers get man handled, cops stop the concert: Musicians court chaos

From AR Rahman, Sonu Nigam, Arijit Singh to Darshan Raval, Benny Dayal and Guru Randhawa, several musicians have faced unpleasant experiences while performing for live audiences.

Several high-profile concerts this year made headlines for all the wrong reasons -- from police shutting down performances to singers being manhandled by angry mobs. Here’s a closer look at why and how musicians have been facing a series of unfortunate events of late.

Singer-composer Sonu Nigam performing in front of live audience.

AR Rahman concert stopped mid-way

The recent concert of legendary singer-musician AR Rahman faced an abrupt halt in Pune as it extended beyond the permissible time limit of 10pm by a police officer. As the video of the incident that showed the cop on stage, was shared on social media, many fans expressed their disappointment and criticized the police for disrespecting Rahman and interrupting his performance. However, Senior police inspector Santosh Patil, the cop who stormed the stage to stop the show, said that he was just doing his job. “I tried to contact the organisers but they did not respond. Therefore, I had to go onto the stage and ask Rahman and other performers to stop the music. I had no option as it was past the permissible time,” he said during an interview. Amid this, the 56-year-old singer-musician later shared a video from the live concert held at Raja Bahadur Mills in Pune and called it a “roller coaster ride”.

Guru Randhawa’s Delhi gig called off

The scheduled performance of popular singer Guru Randhawa at the annual fest of Indian Institute of Technology Delhi was abruptly cancelled college authorities due to a heavy crowd and stampede. The decision was taken in response to a violent altercation between some students and security personnel, who were trying to prevent unauthorized access to the VIP areas. The scuffle also involved members of the organizing committee, who were caught in the crossfire. Subsequently, singer Sonu Nigam’s concert, which was to be held the next day, was also called off by the college authorities. Later, the High Rated Gabru singer took to Instagram and shared a video of the crowd along with a note. He said, “I deeply regret the abrupt cancellation of our concert at IIT Delhi today. Due to heavy crowding and stampede, we couldn’t make our way through the stage as per the authorities guidelines. I promise to perform for you’ll very soon. Thanks for the love.”

Arijit Singh suffered a hand injury

While performing during a live concert in Aurangabad, an over enthusiastic fan pulled singer Arijit Singh’s hand, leading to an injury. Singh had to stop the concert midway because of it. “My hand is shaking right now. I can’t move my hand,” the singer was seen speaking to the audience in a video from event, which has now gone viral. “If I can’t perform, you won’t be able to have fun. It’s as simple. You pulled me like that and my hand is still shaking. Should I leave?” he further said. Singh was later treated on the stage for his sprained hand and the singer was facing discomfort throughout. Though the team has not shared much detail about his health, there are reports that he has been advised to take two weeks’ rest.

Darshan Raval’s concert saw students fainting

During Darshan Raval’s concert at MS University’s Faculty of Technology, a chaotic scene unfolded as attendees surged towards the stage. Regrettably, at least three students fainted and lost consciousness in the commotion. Videos of the incident went viral, depicting the unconscious individuals being escorted for medical attention. Raval briefly halted the performance to address the situation. Student leaders of the university alleged the faculty had issued extra passes, causing overcrowding. However, the authorities was reported saying that the faculty had issued only about 4,000 passes.

Benny Dayal hit by a drone

Renowned singer Benny Dayal faced an unfortunate mishap during a live concert in Chennai when he was hit by a drone. The impact left him with a bruise on the back of his head and a few bruises on his fingers. The incident quickly gained widespread attention after a video went viral on social media. In response, Benny shared a video on Instagram to raise awareness among fellow performers about the potential dangers of drones at live concerts. He could be heard saying, “I just want to express three things. All artists should make sure they have a clause that the drone cannot come close to them while they are performing as their movement cannot be coordinated. You need a person with you who is specifically working on drones. Please, all colleges, companies, show or event organisers, get a certified drone operator because it’s very dangerous. The person should be certified to operate a drone. We are artists. We are just singing on stage. We just want to look nice. The drones shouldn’t come so close to artists during a live performance.”

Sonu Nigam got manhandled

Renowned Indian singer Sonu Nigam was subjected to physical assault by a man after his performance at a music festival in Chembur, Mumbai. The incident took place when Nigam was getting off the stage and resulted in injuries to the singer, his bodyguard, and a member of his team. Reports suggest that the man responsible for the scuffle is Swapnil Phaterpekar, son of an MLA, who pushed the singer’s bodyguard and team member off the stage. A video of the scuffle was shared on social media and it showed Nigam being pushed from behind by a man. This caused him to take a tumble and fell down the stairs. After the incident, Sonu Nigam spoke to the reporters and said that all of it happened only because the man wanted a selfie with him.Following the incident, he lodged a complaint at Chembur police station.

Kailesh Kher attacked by bottles

During a concert in Karnataka, singer Kailash Kher was attacked when an audience member threw a bottle at him. A video of the incident went viral, showing the bottle narrowly missing the singer and dropping on the stage behind him. Despite the disturbance, Kher continued to perform without being distracted. Police later detained two men and said the accused were allegedly unhappy with the singer for not singing Kannada songs during the event and attacked in anger