A blasted New Year!

It was advertised as a ‘Blast from the Past’ with special guest Desmond de Silva. My friend who bought ten tickets for our table was assured that Desmond would spend the whole evening with us and was contracted to sing 30 songs. Apparently though the BMICH Banquet Hall could hold 400, only 300 tickets were to be sold at Rs. 5,500. I was a bit worried about the acoustics of that small hall not designed for music and felt that even with 300 it would be crowded.

Arriving just after 9 p.m., when the event was advertised to start, we found only the organisers and caterers in the hall. They were selling Desmond’s CDs on a table outside.

We were happy to see a comfortable arrangement with only 16 tables with 10 seats each. We were told that Desmond was expected by 10.30 p.m. By that time less than half the tables were full and no one was yet on the dance floor. Some at our table were getting bored and we went exploring to see what else was happening at BMICH. We went to the main hall and there was an event organised by the People’s Church in collaboration with the Bible Society. In the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre (SBMEC) was a KRC event with Jerome Fernando. Both these active free events were crowded, but the ushers were courteous and offered to find us seats, in a bid to deliver to us their message. We stayed only for few minutes and rushed back not wanting to miss any part of Desmond’s show.

At 11.30 p.m. they served dinner, and at 11.50 p.m. the dance floor was still empty and there was no sign of Desmond. Most got on the floor just before midnight for the count down, and a few went outside to watch the fireworks from the CR&FC grounds.

Desmond finally arrived at 12.30 a.m. just around the time that a few of us in the small crowd were getting restless. He got the party going well after the New Year and long after the bedtime of most of the audience with an average age well over 60.

Desmond sang under 20 songs in about 50 minutes and bid everyone good night. The band went for dinner, and we too left, disappointed that this Blast had brought in 2014 with a whimper.

Maybe it was a change of plans due to low ticket sales.

However, the organisers must have clearly known at the start of the evening and if they were honest with those they had sold tickets to promising a night with Desmond, started dinner well before midnight and somehow got the party going, the atmosphere would have been far more jovial. Not knowing if we have been totally cheated, was a real damper and no way to start a Happy New Year.

Finding none on the Internet, I felt it was important to review this event for the benefit of those seeking nightlife in Colombo.

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