Ovation Productions issues statement on Ben&Ben concert complaints

Ben&Ben homecoming concert organiser Ovation Productions has released an official statement on the complaints that have followed the recent event.

• READ MORE: Ben&Ben talk collaborating with Pamungkas on ‘Paninindigan Kita’ rework: “We just communicated through music instantly”

The concert came under fire earlier this week from attendees who alleged a series of issues observed at the concert including poor security and crowd control, with some attendees reporting that event security did not validate tickets at the entrance or check backpacks for dangerous objects, and allowed people to enter sectioned-off quadrants.

The concert organiser has now pointed to a series of logistical challenges for the discomfort experienced by attendees at the concert held at the SMDC Festival Grounds in Parañaque City on December 18. Apologising to all who were affected, Ovation Productions proceeded to explain that event planners and venue management had decided prior to the show to close entry from the right side of the grounds due to construction work still ongoing at the venue.

Both parties deemed the entrances on the left side of the grounds to be sufficient, Ovation Productions wrote. The organiser also revealed that they were not allowed to put up signage leading to the venue before addressing the complaints of lax security that arose following the event, explaining that security had slowed down the flow of attendees into the event grounds.

“At some point, security procedures were relaxed to unclog the chokepoints then later re-imposed when the situation improved,” the organiser wrote, adding that there were an adequate amount of marshalls in and around the venue, alongside medical teams with ambulances on standby and coordination with the police and fire departments.

“Nonetheless, we still recognise that at the end of the day, it was Ben&Ben fans who have been inconvenienced by all of this and we apologise. We will do better next time,” the statement concludes.

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Ben&Ben have also issued an apology of their own, acknowledgingthe “deeply stressful experience” that concert goers went through and how it affected them as well.

Ben&Ben’s homecoming concert was reportedly attended by over 65,000 fans, according concert director Gary Valenciano. The concert featured likes of KZ Tandingan, Zild Benitez and Juan Karlos alongside Ben&Ben in a homecoming concert initially scheduled for September 3 as a send-off show ahead of their North America tour earlier this year.

The send-off concert that was supposed to be held on September 3 was also plagued by unfortunate circumstances, as it was cancelled due to the southwest monsoon triggered by then typhoon Henry bringing floods and an unyielding downpour in Metro Manila on the date of the concert.

Prior to the homecoming show, Ben&Ben released a new single called ‘Dear’ on November 25, their fifth single for 2022. It follows the singles ‘Mag-ingat’, ‘Paninindigan Kita’, ‘Langyang Pag-ibig’ and ‘The Ones We Once Loved’.

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