Fans of old school rhythm and blues voiced their disappointment with a Saturday, Sept. 11 Atlanta concert, both during the show with chants of “refund,” and on social media afterward.
The “Saturday Nite Old School Music Festival” staged at the Home Depot Backyard, an outdoor facility next to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, featured long lines for restroom facilities, concession stands that ran out of food, a late start and some missing performers, according to attendees.
“This was one of the biggest rip-offs I’ve seen,” Reggie Nelson, who attended the concert told Channel 2 Action News′ Tom Jones. “Everybody feels like they’ve been ripped off. A lot of people got up to leave before things were done.”
Credit: S.E.M.G.
Credit: S.E.M.G.
Slated to appear were Frankie Beverly, the Whispers, Johnny Gill, Kool and the Gang and the Commodores, in a show hosted by Classix 102.9 radio DJ Niecey Shaw.
One member of the Whispers didn’t appear and Johnny Gill came out on the stage to greet the audience and explain that he wouldn’t be performing, patrons told Channel 2.
The wait for restrooms was so long that some patrons left the Home Depot Backyard and used restrooms in the stadium.
S.E.M.G., the promoter that put on the show, posted an apology on its Facebook page:
“For those that stayed until the end, we hope you enjoyed the headlining acts that performed. For those that left early and expressed understandable frustration, we sincerely apologize that we missed the mark.”
“Yes, the vendors should have been better prepared. The restroom facilities were worked hard, and we opened additional indoor options to accommodate the crowd. Security should have been tighter with assigned seats. Transitions between acts should have been much shorter, and overall communication about timing of the program could have been widely shared. While the technical difficulties were out of our control, these are things we are actively addressing and will change/drastically to improve in the future.”
The statement continued: “Although we do have a “no refund” policy, we are considering partial refunds on a case-by-case basis. We ask for your patience as we work through these requests.”
S.E.M.G. did not immediately return a request for comment.
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