LAMC apologises for GNR Singapore chaos

The promoter of Guns N’ Roses’ first concert in Singapore has apologised for the logistical issues that plagued Saturday night’s show, but ruled out giving refunds to the any of the 50,000 attendees.

GNR’s Not in this Lifetime reunion tour visited the Changi Exhibition Centre on 25 February, and while the performance itself was well received, promoter LAMC Productions was inundated with complaints from concertgoers unable to buy food and enter or leave the venue. There were reportedly queues of up to an hour to buy food and drink – which quickly ran out, leaving many unable to spend the pre-loaded money on their RFID wristbands – and delays on entry and exit, with some complaining of a wait of more than an hour for the post-gig shuttle bus.

Speaking to The Straits Times, LAMC co-founder Ross Knudson took responsibility for the problems, telling the paper that “maybe it [the show] was too big for us”.

He continues: “We needed a lot more staff, buses and F&B [food and beverage] and to manage the site better. […] I want to apologise for that. It’s a very big endeavour and a very challenging venue to do a show there, but I don’t want to make excuses.

“It’s a very big endeavour and a very challenging venue to do a show there”

“We’re not going to be refunding tickets, but we apologise.”

Unspent balances on wristbands will, however, be refunded.

Sandpiper Digital Payments (SDP) Asia, the supplier of the RFID technology, says it told LAMC before the show there were insufficient F&B facilities and entry queues for 50,000 concertgoers. In a statement, released today, SDP Asia director James Kane says the promoter was “made aware their plans were inadequate [ahead of time]. This pertains to entry, cashless signage, pre-event top up collection, top-up stations, F&B fulfilment, etc.

He adds, however, that “it is the final decision of the organisers and their team to follow or ignore the recommendations”.

The GNR concert was the second to be held at the 75-acre Changi Exhibition Centre, following a LAMC-promoted Metallica show in 2013.

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