‘How the might have fallen’: Bengaluru fans rage as Cigarettes After Sex cancels gig amid PM Modi’s concert economy push

Fans angry after Cigarettes After Sex cancel gig last minute in Bengaluru on the same day as PM Narendra Modi said he wanted to build 'concert economy in India'

On the same day as Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged organisers and state governments to focus on creating rohubust infrastructure for concerts after Coldplay's successful shows in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, fans were left distraught after popular American rock band Cigarettes after Sex cancelled their concert in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

Cigarettes after Sex's gig in Bengaluru was cancelled because of 'local production' issues.

The band in a statement, shared via their social media handles, attributed the cancellation to 'local production' issues and extended their apologies to fans. See some of the reactions here:

From questioning whether Bengaluru, known for hosting big international artists in the past, is equipped to handle big concerts anymore, to criticising the organisers, BookMyShow, of failing to even inform the concertgoers of the last-minute cancellation, several angry fans took to social media to vent their frustration.

What PM Modi said about improving concert economy in India

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his speech at the ‘Utkarsh Odisha, Make in Odisha Conclave, urged states, and private players to develop infrastructure for concerts, after British rock band Coldplay held multiple sold out successful shows in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. "You must've seen pictures of Coldplay. Big artistes from around the world are attracted to India. I expect the state and the private sector to focus on developing necessary infrastructure and skills for the concert economy," PM Modi said.

Noting the success of the Chris Martin-led band's concerts in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, PM Modi also said that India has immense possibilities in the concert economy. Highlighting that India has significant potential for ‘conference tourism’, PM Modi said venues like Bharat Mandapam and Yashobhoomi in Delhi were becoming major centres for this.

"A country that has such a rich heritage of music, dance and storytelling and a huge pool of youngsters who are big consumers of concerts, there are many possibilities in the concert economy. You have witnessed that in the last 10 years, the demand and trend for live events have increased. This proves that there is a massive scope for concerts in India," he said.