It was the worst possible blow for live shows and Bengaluru. While The Daily Show host might well have got a year’s worth of material from the show that wasn’t, the cancellation of Trevor Noah’s Off the Record gigs due to bad acoustics was crushing for Bengalureans who had forded every treacherous stream and climbed every mountain of gridlocked traffic to reach Manpho Convention Centre in Nagavara. The shows were scheduled for September 27 and 28.
The show on Wednesday started late to cut some slack for all the Indiana Jones and sundry adventurers to reach the venue. The buzz, however, was all positive as fellow travellers clapped each other on the back for making it. It seemed rather hot and stuffy, but everyone just tried to keep calm and continue taking selfies. When the lights finally dimmed there was a roar of anticipation.
First rumblings of disquiet
Standup comic Wilner Sylvince, the opening act for Noah, took the stage, and the first rumblings of disquiet were heard. As Sylvince spoke of his adventures with a bidet, the rumblings grew to a frustrated bellow as his words were swallowed up by an annoying echo. He tried to calm the crowd to not much avail.
And then the lights did their disco dance, and Noah came on stage to the ever-growing chant of “we can’t hear”. The front rows said they were able to hear, which prompted Noah to suggest that maybe he could tell them the jokes, which they could pass on to the rows behind. It would have been a fun case of Chinese whispers. Noah walked off stage saying they would try to sort out the sound but obviously it was not to be.
Feedback from on-stage monitors
“They should have reduced the feedback from the on-stage monitors, which was probably the cause of the echo and distortion,” suggested advertising professional Amal K.J., who had made the trek from Arekere on Bannerghatta Road (gulp) for the show. “He is an icon in the world of standup, and it is such a shame that Bengaluru was denied the chance of hearing him.”
“I cannot believe a sound check was not done for a world-class act like Trevor Noah,” commented content creator Rupa Jacob from Yelahanka. “The Russell Peters show in the same venue sounded fine; I was sitting even further back and could hear perfectly well. The AC was also working then. This has turned me off live events, and it is back to OTT for me.” And the neon god has won once more.
I am sorry, says Trevor Noah
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Noah said, “Dear Bengaluru, I was so looking forward to performing in your amazing city, but due to technical issues, we have been forced to cancel both shows. We tried everything, but because the audience cannot hear the comedians on stage, there is literally no way to do a show. We will make sure all ticket holders receive a full refund, and again, I am so sorry for both the inconvenience and disappointment. This has never happened to us before.”
