Skillbox overcame multiple challenges, including venue changes and restrictions, to successfully host Swedish progressive metal band Opeth's Mumbai concert. Despite logistical hurdles and increased costs, the organisers ensured the show went on, showcasing their dedication to the metal community and fans who had waited years for this moment.
Swedish progressive metal band Opeth, known for songs like 'Blackwater Park', were scheduled for a two-city tour in India for their new album, The Last Will and Testament. With one show in Mumbai on 3rd October and another in Bengaluru on the 4th, Skillbox, the organiser, managed to secure one of the biggest names in progressive metal to play in India after almost eight years. Their last performance was in 2019, at the NH7 Weekender.
The concert was set to take place at The Ballard Pier Downtown Experience Centre, Mumbai, but due to the ongoing CJP protests in the area around the venue, Skillbox couldn't secure permission for The Pier. The show was then moved to NESCO Hall No. 5, where, due to government restrictions on liquor licenses, alcohol couldn't be served at the event. Unfortunately, permission wasn't given for that venue either. After hustling to find a venue, because cancelling was simply not an option, Skillbox managed to get The Lalit Lawns, part of The Lalit Mumbai, for the show.
A last-minute venue change is not simply a couple of calls and an announcement on Instagram. The cost of a venue change for an event of this size and magnitude is no joke. As Skillbox said in their statement, "We also want to make one thing absolutely clear: this venue change has not made the show cheaper. In fact, moving the event at the last minute has resulted in us incurring costs that are almost double what was originally planned."
But they managed to get it done, and the Opeth concert successfully taking place is truly a testament to the tenacity of the organisers in making sure the show goes on. Recently, with so many international big names performing and touring in India, from Linkin Park to Olivia Dean, audiences are growing more entitled. There is an omnipresent feeling that nothing the organisers put together will ever be good enough: "The venue sucked," "The lineup makes no sense," or even "I don't even know who these artists are," like a constant sense of dissatisfaction with whatever is offered. It's a no-brainer that events like these take a ton of work and effort. Hundreds of people work tirelessly to ensure that a behemoth of an event happens successfully.
So the next time you feel like throwing hands and making a point about how the organisers did nothing, remember that they face frustrations and restrictions, from liquor licenses to socio-political events completely out of their hands, just to get the show running. And even then, they offered a full refund to anyone who changed their mind about attending after the venue change.
The metal community is known to be extremely resilient, a group of people who take care of each other like a brotherhood, and Skillbox did not disappoint them. "We know there are fans who have travelled from across India and around the world, and many who have waited years to see Opeth live. Cancelling was simply not an option we were willing to accept without fighting until the very end." And they did not.
Follow Skillbox on Instagram.
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