Bengaluru: Days after cancelling two shows scheduled to be held in Bengaluru last week “due to technical issues”, South African comedian Trevor Noah Saturday reportedly used his experience there to regale his audience in Mumbai, in what was the final leg of his India tour.
In a purported video clip uploaded on YouTube Sunday, Noah appeared to be joking about the traffic woes, the venue glitches and the angry fans in Bengaluru.
He reportedly went on to say that he was stuck in a car for two hours and missed his sound check, and that the venue was allegedly not equipped to handle his show and that the audience could not hear him properly.
Though fingers are being raised against the show’s promoter, BookMyShow, people aware of the developments told ThePrint that Noah travelled with his own team of technicians and sound engineers, who had approved the venue and equipment months before the date of the performance.
ThePrint reached the agency handling Noah’s publicity, as well as his live performance team via email, but did not receive a response till the time of publication of this report. The article will be updated if a response is received.
The comedian meanwhile told the audience in Mumbai that he felt bad for the people who came to see him in Bengaluru and had to leave disappointed. Equating the Bengaluru venue to a “semi-permanent tent”, Noah reportedly mentioned passing “dogs in cages” outside the venue. “…What happens is that there will be like an entrance you walk into. You emerge in a backstage area before you come and perform. Here, we walk through an alley that was full of dogs, half of which were in cages,” Noah reportedly told his Mumbai audience, while talking about how he reached the Bengaluru venue.
The comedian was to have performed at the Manpho Convention Centre in Bengaluru on 27 and 28 September as part of his “Off The Record” tour. However, he cancelled both shows barely an hour into the first one. He also posted an apology to his fans on the social media platform X (previously Twitter) and promised a full refund.
Dear Bengalaru India, I was so looking forward to performing in your amazing city but due to technical issues we’ve been forced to cancel both shows.
We tried everything but because the audience can’t hear the comedians on stage there’s literally no way to do a show. We’ll make…— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) September 27, 2023
Since the cancellation, the discussion in Bengaluru has also revolved around what went wrong with Noah’s show.
Referring to the comedian being stuck in traffic, a social media user to write, “Bengaluru wanted to experience Trevor Noah, but Trevor Noah ended up experiencing Bengaluru”.
Meanwhile, BookMyShow in a statement Thursday said it regretted the inconvenience caused to the fans and assured that they were working with Noah’s team to process the refunds as soon as possible.
Bengaluru, we are extremely sorry for the inconvenience caused at Trevor Noah’s Off The Record show at Manpho Convention Centre on September 27th. The Bengaluru leg of the India Tour for both September 27th & 28th stands cancelled. All customers who purchased tickets for both…
— BookMyShow (@bookmyshow) September 27, 2023
Noah kickstarted his India tour with a show in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium on 22 September. After two more shows in the national capital, he moved to Bengaluru, and then to Mumbai, where he did two shows at the NSCI Dome on 30 September and 1 October.
Mumbai! Thank you for such an incredible first night! The energy inside the NSCI Dome was next level!! Excited we get to do it all over again tomorrow night! 🙌🏾🇮🇳 #OffTheRecordWorldTour 📸: @mattynoir pic.twitter.com/z5xE6cloZb
— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) September 30, 2023
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‘Enough content for Noah’s future shows’
A person aware of the developments in Bengaluru told ThePrint that Noah’s “entire acoustics, sound, light, technical team travel with him everywhere exactly like the way international artists do”.
The venue and the local equipment were vetted before the contract was signed and the dates announced, added the person.
The person also said that even the air-conditioner was shut off for 10 minutes to see if it interfered with the sound, but Noah decided to announce the cancellation of his shows on both days, despite assurances by his team that all technical glitches had been fixed.
The person further claimed that his own team asked why the show on Thursday was also being cancelled.
The debacle in Bengaluru followed successful shows in Delhi, which went off like “clockwork”, according to the person cited above.
The Delhi shows, sources said, were attended by many celebrities and dignitaries.
After the video of Noah roasting his Bengaluru experience in Mumbai emerged, many took to social media to express their views on it. While some found it funny and relatable, others felt offended and insulted.
One of those to comment was Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, executive chairperson of Biocon Limited.
In a post on X, Mazumdar-Shaw said the Bengaluru experience had provided Noah “enough content for future shows”. Tagging Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Joint CP (traffic) of Bengaluru City, she said, “If this does not wake up the administration then we have nothing left to hope for”.
Bangalore’s shambolic state has provided enough content for Trevor Noah’s future shows.If this does not wake up the administration then we have nothing left to hope for @Jointcptraffic @BBMPCOMM @CMofKarnataka @DKShivakumar https://t.co/rZee59SAG0
— Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (@kiranshaw) October 1, 2023
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is among the ThePrint’s investors.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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