No room to rock: Bengaluru's venue crisis muffles the music

Bengaluru: Bengaluru’s once vibrant rock music scene seems to have lost its sheen due to the lack of infrastructure and short-sighted vision of urban planners over the years. A major open arena to host big acts is missing in the IT and beer capital of India.

Palace Grounds, once famous for international rock acts, has stopped having big concerts due to a legal dispute and a vague restriction on ‘commercial’ activity instituted by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR). The last major act at Palace Grounds was the heavy-metal band Metallica, who reportedly performed for over 50,000 attendees in 2011.  

There is a drought of big international acts like The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Metallica, and Iron Maiden who have all performed in Bengaluru earlier. A top-ranking official with the government informed DH that the British rock band Coldplay picked Bengaluru as their first choice but they moved to Mumbai and Ahmedabad due to a lack of open arenas in the city. “Big acts normally always perform in stadiums.

In Mumbai, Coldplay is performing in D Y Patil Stadium and, in Ahmedabad, it is the Narendra Modi Stadium. A R Rahman also had to cancel two of his shows in Bengaluru again due to the lack of suitable space. This is happening due to the short-sightedness of some officials,” the official added.

Deeksha, a Coldplay fan from Bengaluru, said that she spent Rs 3,500 including GST on the ticket and bore additional expenses like Rs 11,000 on airfare and Rs 5,000 per night for the hotel. 

Big events, big economy

State IT and BT Minister Priyank Kharge emphasised that it’s not just about hosting big events in the city but also about huge revenue generation for the local administration. “Additionally, for a global city like Bengaluru to attract global talent and attention, we need lung spaces and venues for people to easily get in and get out. We need to be able to host international or regional talent, or dignitaries that want to visit the city.” 

“Karnataka Tourism Department also has a provision for the development of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) facilities. Karnataka is also losing out due to lack of MICE facilities. For example, the BIO International Convention is held at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Centre that has the capacity to handle a footfall of 30,000 to 40,000 people,” he lamented.

Salma K Fahim, Secretary, Department of Tourism, said that for MICE initiatives to be successful, there should be hotels to stay overnight, good connectivity to the airport and the venue should have the capacity to host at least 50,000 to one lakh audience. “Though we have BIEC, the closest hotels to stay would be in Yeshwantpur, which is not feasible for travellers who come here and for the artists to stay either,” she added. 

Aerosmith at Palace Grounds in 2007.

She noted that building new infrastructure does not come under the purview of the tourism department and said that the department upgrades existing structures through public-private partnership models to accommodate tourists.

Sreekanth Urs, MD of GES India, an exhibition organiser, spoke about the huge matrix of business when a big event happens. “There is an economic ripple effect of big events that benefit airlines, road transport, restaurants and the city at large. At exhibitions, traders place orders at these shows."

He emphasised how developed nations like China and Europe capitalise on such opportunities. In Bengaluru, limited venues like BIEC make B2C events challenging due to accessibility.

“Getting permission in Palace Grounds for an exhibition is tedious. If someone in the government can push for Palace Grounds to be made a prime venue, then it has tremendous potential to host big events,” he added. 

The director of one of the biggest event organisers rued that currently there is no venue in the city for big events. “Places like Yelahanka are too far off and create big traffic issues, especially to the airport. This happened when the Supernova festival was held there. Jayamahal Palace also has the issue of noise complaints by residents who live close by. We have tried every option in the city but nothing has worked out. If Palace Grounds opens up then it would be great. 

Civic woes

Civic evangelist V Ravichandar sees Bengaluru and Mumbai as logical destinations for big events due to demographics and economics but notes Bengaluru’s lack of suitable venues. “None of the places we currently have are suitable for international music concerts,” he said.  

The primary issue, he explained, is the lack of large public spaces, compounded by poor infrastructure, traffic challenges, and inadequate amenities in already existing venues. “Incidents like the cancellation of Trevor Noah’s show, are still ‘treverberating’ in people’s minds and question the city’s capability to host big events,” he added. 

Ravichandar emphasised the need for holistic planning if large venues are developed on the outskirts, considering artists, fans, organisers, and traffic management.  

Despite these limitations, he acknowledged the success of past gigs and advocated for a shift in mindset among stakeholders to efficiently host large-scale cultural events, enhancing Bengaluru’s global reputation and delivering greater fan experiences.

Mick Jagger from The Rolling Stones in Bengaluru in 2003.

Local perspective

City-based musician and frontman of the band Thermal and a Quarter, Bruce Lee Mani told DH that, with each passing government, the priorities changed and certain individuals may have felt that these kinds of events don’t add to the city’s cultural landscape in a meaningful way.

“They change the rules and regulations while not realising that this is what is closely tied to the identity of the city for many years. It is really quite sad,” he added. 

While maintaining that the transformation has to come from the city’s governance he questioned the lack of infrastructure for local artists as well. “Where are the venues for local artists? Not just for Western musicians in the city but even in Indian classical music, there isn’t anything much,” he remarked.

There should be a long-term, holistic approach to creating cultural spaces in the city with public-private partnerships coming from individuals who believe in the cultural landscape of Bengaluru.