The hunt for an alternative venue

The City has played host to some great rock shows in the past by Indian and international bands. For many of these concerts, Palace Grounds has been the venue.

However, after the ban on commercial events there, organisers of these events and musical bands are now forced to look for other venues in the City. Some of the alternative venues are Jaymahal Palace, Embassy International
Riding School, E Zone Club, Marathahalli and Clarks Exotica at
Devanahalli. 

Suswagata Roy, one of the event managers in the
City, says that losing out on a great venue, such as Palace Grounds, is very disappointing.

“We have held many of our shows at Palace Grounds. It is definitely a brilliant venue and is centrally located,” he explains.He feels that the clampdown has caused many organisers to introduce new concepts to their shows, which would help them choose a sustainable venue.

 Many concerts are now being held in areas like Whitefield, which pose
problems for youngsters, who say that they want to see the show but cannot afford to travel so far.

“Palace Grounds is a great area. It is so centrally located and the connectivity from various parts of the City to this venue is good. But now, all the concerts are being held in Whitefield. It is very impractical for us to go there. We are students and have deadlines to get back to our hostels and homes. Furthermore, we have to pay for the ticket and shell out money to get to the venue and return. We end up paying a lot of money this way,” says Chetan, a student.

Vikram Vivekanand, the lead guitarist of a popular band, says that Palace Grounds is a very popular venue and many young musicians aspire to play there.
But with the clampdown, alternative venues like malls and pubs are becoming
popular.

“Palace Grounds is a great venue. Since it is the most popular and the biggest open air venue in Bangalore, the ban leaves very few options for musicians and organisers.

When big acts from abroad are forced to play at a different venue, it affects the
ticket sales. The performance value of the band also suffers. Big bands need big venues, so that they can be ‘larger than life’. Even for local bands, it is a huge deal because a venue, as big as Palace Grounds, would elevate their performance,” he concludes.