Concert bag farce sees half-mile NEC queue – and fans in tears
RESORTS World Arena apologised “wholeheartedly” after “unacceptable” queues to see singer Gary Barlow left concert-goers in tears.
The Take That star performed at the NEC venue as part of his latest UK tour on Friday, December 10.
But fans were devastated as queues stretched for half a mile and meant many were stranded outside when the Leona Lewis support gig began.
The queue formed after many were blocked from taking oversized bags inside.
Some fans said it was the longest queue they had ever witnessed.
Other fans were left with the choice of throwing their bags in the bin or walking the long journey back to their car and joining the back of the queue.
One fan, who did not wish to be named, said: “I could see a lot of women gathered around the entrances. Some seemed quite angry and I saw one lady in tears. When we approached the doors, we then heard a security guard saying their bag policy had changed.”
The fan said the travesty continued
as they were forced to rush back to the car or face losing their bag and valuables.
They added: “Another security guard told me the policy had been in place three months despite us visiting for a concert the week before with the same bag and being allowed straight in no questions asked.
“We ended up having to speed walk back to the car and then back to the arena. We only made it through the doors ten minutes before Gary was due to start with the queue still miles long outside.
“It ruined the night for us really. We missed the support act, spent over an hour in the freezing cold and were then told to throw away a bag which probably cost more than the tickets away.
“Resorts World Arena sent numerous emails and texts in the lead up to the concert about Covid passes and negative lateral flows but not once was the bag policy mentioned.”
A Resorts World Arena spokesman said: “We apologise wholeheartedly to all fans impacted by the delayed entry into the Gary Barlow show last Friday, December 10.
“We’re committed to providing a safe and secure environment, which requires further measures in the current circumstances.
“However the queuing time was unacceptable and we are sorry to all the visitors who were affected. Further communications will be emailed to ticket buyers for all performances over the Christmas holidays, as a reminder of our standard security checks and bag policy.”