Concerts are getting bigger than ever, but are we ready for them?

From the size of venues to the number of attendees and the grandeur of the artistes, concerts in the past year have evolved – transforming from mere music events into a larger cultural phenomenon. It didn’t matter whether one was a die-hard music lover; the sheer demand for the live gig experience had fans scrambling to snag tickets.
Case in point: Coldplay’s Ahmedabad performance broke the record for the largest stadium show of the 21st century, with 1,11,989 fans in attendance – narrowly surpassing the record set by George Strait, who played to 1,10,905 fans in Texas last June.
At a time when concerts have become a melting pot for artistes, organisers and fans alike, the conversation around event logistics has never been more relevant. From seamless entry and exit to parking, washrooms, crowd management, and ensuring both fan safety and artiste satisfaction, stakeholders across the board weigh in on the infrastructure expectations at live events.
In December, Diljit Dosanjh spoke about infrastructure at his Chandigarh show and said in Punjabi, “Here we don’t have infrastructure for live shows. This is a source of big revenue, many people get work and are able to work here... I’ll try next time that the stage is at the centre so that you (the fans) can be around it. Till this happens, I won’t do shows in India, that’s for sure”

A diabetic Mumbai-based fan had shared his harrowing experience at the Byran Adams concert. He claimed that the lack of washrooms left him with no choice but to pee his pants. “I am NOT ashamed to say that I am diabetic with continence issues. You guys should be ashamed for providing three loos/1000 people,” he wrote in a post, accusing the organisers
In December, singer Monali Thakur left the stage midway during a live gig in Varanasi. Explaining to her fans about this decision, the singer wrote in a post, “I am disheartened because my team and I were so excited to perform here. Let’s not talk about the infrastructure and its condition, as that is the management’s responsibility. I can’t explain what they have done to the stage just so they can steal money.” She added, “Time and again, I said that I could injure my ankle here. My dancers have been telling me to calm down, but everything was a mess. We were trying because I am answerable to you all, and you come for me, right? You will hold me accountable for all of this”
We do not lack infrastructure, we need the right plan: Organisers
‘Need cohesive collab between event organisers and local authorities’
From an organiser’s perspective, several key areas warrant attention. “Beyond venue development, improvements to transportation and robust security measures are crucial. A cohesive understanding between event organisers and local authorities will significantly enhance the experience for both artistes and attendees,” says Rishabh Talwar, Business Head, Team Innovation.
What organisers need to conduct concerts-Active stadiums like a cricket stadium cannot always be used for concerts due to scheduling conflicts and their primary function as sports venues
- Organisers need multipurpose, plug-and-play venues designed for concerts, similar to those in the west
- These venues should have built-in production facilities and acoustic treatment
- The ease of organising concerts must improve, with streamlined permissions and reduced bureaucratic hurdles
— Avadh Nagpal, co founder, Souldout
What are the hurdles that organisers face
-Obtaining approvals and coordinating with authorities to conduct concerts is a task, often leading to last-minute cancellations without care for the financial and logistical investment of organisers
-There is no uniformity in production quality across different venues. The same concert in Mumbai, Delhi, or Bangalore can feel drastically different because of inconsistent infrastructure and acoustics
-Lack of industry regulations: Currently, anyone with some financial backing, can call themselves an event organiser. This results in inexperienced promoters inflating artiste fees to secure shows but failing to deliver quality production or marketing
-Established artistes don’t always scrutinise the credentials of event organisers, which sometimes leads to mismanaged tours, ultimately harming the industry
— Avadh Nagpal
‘Coldplay show in Ahmedabad is an example of great infrastructure’
Talking about the Bryan Adams show that he did in Goa, Deepak Choudhary, founder and MD of EVA Live, shares, “We did a Bryan Adams show in Bambolim Stadium in Goa with 15,000 people and the city was still operating well. 70% of the time the stadium is not being used. The country has the infrastructure. The greatness of a Coldplay show in Ahmedabad is an example of that.
Finally, we are getting stadiums to do concerts. Like in Delhi, AR Rahman’s show happened at Garden of Five Senses a few years ago but nobody is doing a show there now. The issue is not the absence of the facilities, but the lack of a right plan.”
Certainly a need to have more venues for bigger concerts: Artistes

‘We lack proper planning’
“There is certainly a need to have more venues for bigger concerts. As an artiste, I also feel that fans usually struggle with logistics like parking spots or accessing the road to the venue. I feel everything else can be managed, these are the two things that we need, we lack proper planning,” shares Rahul Vaidya.

‘Humare music ko bhi international artistes ke jaisa promote karna chahiye’
Kailash Kher, who performs with his band Kailasa, adds that it is encouraging that a discussion has now started on concerts and concert economy. “Music concerts pehle bhi hote thay par music ko lightly liya jaata tha. In the last decade – government, corporates and institutes have started taking these seriously. Infrastructure improve hone ki zaroorat hai... When international concerts happen, chahe samajh aaye na aaye, audience ka joh approach hai unke liye, ek jaisa har jagah hai. Aise hamare music ko bhi promote karna chahiye. Unke tickets black mein le rahe hain, par jab Kailasa ka show hota hai, wahi log free mein passes chahte hain toh yeh jo mentality hai, yeh change hona chahiye. Difference ko kam karne ki zaroorat hai,” Kher points out.

‘We need to work a little extra on crowd management’
Subir Malik from Parikrama adds that in terms of music, light and sound, we don’t lack anything or in technical aspects, it just depends on the organiser and local event organiser. “From the musician’s point of view, I go and watch concerts all over the world. With the quality of sound, lights, and the engineers we have, the output of our vendors in India is world-class. From the music’s point of view, I am happy that India is getting all kinds of diverse artistes. The production of a show like Coldplay’s is not easy but that was managed and that is a huge thing for the country. The only thing where we need to work a little extra is crowd management, entry into the concerts, exit from the concerts and availability of toilets.”
‘Hosting a concert takes a lot of intense technical and logistical requirements’
Faridkot duo Inder Preet Singh and Rajarshi Sanyal agree that the infrastructure isn’t as big an issue as organising big concerts efficiently. “Hosting a concert takes a lot of intense technical and logistical requirements. From managing local transport for a large crowd to the food, beverages and the venue – all play an important factor in ensuring a smooth concert experience. Take for instance, the recent Coldplay concert. Many fans took a long time to just exit the venue after the concert. If we look at the one organised in Abu Dhabi, many fans were raving about how they were in their cabs and on their way home within 15 minutes after the concert was over. We have to figure out how to make the process efficient so that we can get closer to such numbers,” they tell us.

Finding parking, washrooms at venues is impossible: Fans
‘Cannot deal with the washrooms at these venues’
Shilpa Khanna, a resident of Sec 52, Gurgaon, who attended AP Dhillon and Karan Aujla concerts last year, shares, “I attend almost all concerts in NCR. I can manage the entry/exit points but what one cannot deal with are the washrooms at these venues. Firstly, it is impossible to find a washroom and when you do find one, there are long queues. And they are anything but hygienic. So, imagine being at a venue for 5-6 hours without any basic infrastructure in place.”
‘Finding a parking spot is impossible’
While complaints about the conditions of public restrooms at such venues remain a common grievance among concertgoers, attendees also contend with parking issues and occasional rowdy crowds. “Most of my friends choose not to go to concerts because of the crowd. Who wants to push people to enter and exit a venue. Sometimes you end up spending more time at exit and entry points than you do at the performance. It doesn’t matter if the concert is in Gurgaon or Delhi, finding a parking spot is impossible and if are lucky to find one, it takes hours to leave the venue after a concert,” says Rajat Chopra, a resident of Ramesh Nagar, who attended Bryan Adams’ show in Gurgaon last year.
‘The infrastructure at venues doesn’t allow parking space’
Deepak Choudhary, founder and MD of an event company, shares that most promoters either already have arranged or are working to provide better washrooms at concerts. “Sometimes a promoter’s ROI does not allow them to give access to washrooms. In such cases, they are at fault. However, some of these promoters (like District by Zomato) are now asking customers to fill satisfaction forms while finalising an event. The real issue is parking. The communication to fans abroad is ‘don’t bring your cars.’ We also tell our consumers here that there will be no parking but they still think they will find a way. They think they will bring their cars and find parking. And then we plan a 2km walk and they get upset that they had to walk for 2km. The infrastructure is not ready within the venue to park so many cars. And that has to be solved with the consumer behaviour, govt’s effort and pre-planning of enough parking areas near the venue. Organisers also need to make sure that there’s enough parking management.”
Sometimes some promoters don’t communicate: Organisers
Deepak Choudhary highlights the gap between concertgoers’ expectations and reality. “Someone told me that they fainted because they didn’t get water at the concert but the organisers have planned enough water booths. It is a delivery expectation. We, as promoters, are not the people who will give something in your hand. We are giving you the access, doing everything we can and sometimes some promoters don’t communicate. That is the issue.”