A disabled music van was removed from a gig at London’s O2 Arena after staff mistook his medical condition for drunkenness.
Matthew Parrott had been seeing indie rock band Glass Animals with his wife Beth at the O2 on November 7 but missed the headliners after being removed for falling over.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours programme, Mr Parrott said venue staff accused him of being intoxicated because he was “stumbling when he walked”.
The 48-year-old has had lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, since 2007, and has had a bone marrow transplant.
As a result, he has nerve damage in his feet among other symptoms.
The O2 has apologised over the incident and vowed to review staff training.
“Sometimes, I walk in an awkward way. At the concert, I tripped and couldn't regain my footing. It was an unfortunate accident,” Mr Parrott said.
“It wasn’t a severe injury. I felt okay, so we just wanted to go back to our seats and enjoy the show. We refused to let the fall dampen our spirits.”
After being seen by medical staff, he was then met by the venue’s security staff - who barred him from re-entry, claiming he was too drunk.
“They refused to let me back in. They said I was intoxicated, which I wasn’t,” he said.
“I tried very much to explain that the fall wasn’t a result of drinking too much alcohol, and that it was because I have this medical condition. But we were escorted out and couldn’t see the show at all.
“I had three beers over the course of four and a half hours. We were celebrating my wife’s birthday. She had the same amount, and no one was trying to throw her out.”
Originally venue officials refused a request to reimburse the show’s £157.70 tickets.
However, the O2 has since issued a full refund, alongside an apology, and a pair of complimentary tickets and drinks for an upcoming show of Mr Parrott’s choice.
An O2 spokesperson said: “We were sorry to hear of this and our teams have been in touch with Mr Parrott directly and have reached a resolution on this case.”
They told the broadcaster it prided itself on being inclusive and accessible, and that it would review staff training over the case.
“In this instance, we would like to apologise to Mr Parrott for the error and emphasise that we are constantly reviewing our procedures and staff training measures to ensure that they’re up to date and fit for purpose,” said the spokesperson.
"We’re committed to building on the work done by our teams so far to ensure that everyone who visits The O2 has a best-in-class experience.”
