Almost 2,500 people who attended the Barbra Streisand concert last July are to receive compensation for inconvenience suffered in chaotic scenes at the event.
The level of compensation will range from full refunds of up to €550 per ticket for those who had to stand because their seats were taken or missing down to €100 concert vouchers for those who complained about parking, traffic and other difficulties.
Fans who ended up in cheaper seats than the ones they had paid for will be paid the difference in price between the two categories of seating.
The compensation is recommended in a report on the problems that arose at the concert which was published yesterday by a committee headed by former Garda commissioner Pat Byrne.
Concert promoters MCD said it accepted the compensation proposals and would make immediate contact with concertgoers who had made complaints.
MCD managing director Denis Desmond again apologised to those whose experience was spoiled but pointed out that the July 14th event at Castletown House took place during a period of unprecedented bad weather.
The decision represents a victory for the National Consumer Agency, which had pressed MCD to investigate the complaints made by concertgoers. It welcomed the report as a "fair deal for consumers" but advised people who were unhappy with the level of compensation offered, or who have not been offered compensation, that they could take their cases to the Small Claims Court.
However, the Consumers' Association of Ireland criticised the amounts being returned to customers by MCD as poor and inadequate and said it amounted to a refund rather than true compensation.
Barbra Streisand's first Irish concert was billed as a once-in-a-lifetime event and ticket prices were among the highest ever charged in Ireland.
However, the event was marred by traffic and access problems, bad weather, chaotic parking and the non-availability for many fans of the seats they had paid for.
Yesterday's report, while placing the ultimate responsibility for these problems on MCD, says it would be "ludicrous" to ignore the impact of more than 50 days of nearly continuous rainfall on an outdoor site.
The report is also sharply critical of the behaviour of some of the 17,000 concertgoers. The abuse received by car parking staff and the "appalling" behaviour of some patrons was "disgraceful", it says. Some concertgoers became "immediately hostile and aggressive" on arrival and reseated themselves "thereby creating a domino effect as other seat-holders arrived for their seats".
"There were instances where patrons refused point-blank to vacate seats not allocated to them when asked to do so by ushers and security, even so much so that some even refused when members of the Garda Síochána were called.
"Such behaviour, irrespective of the cause, creates an unmanageable situation for those in charge."
It adds: "The overall expectation of some patrons attending an outdoor concert after 50-plus days of persistent rain seems to have been far too optimistic when we consider the footwear and general attire of some".
MCD received 1,364 complaints following the concert. More than half related to seating problems, 127 were about car parking, 220 about traffic and 256 concerned other issues. Nine people complained they did not know it was an outdoor concert.
The report says the traffic problems arose because three of the five car parks could not be used because of the bad weather.
Providing just one access to the venue, just 100 yards from the M4, was too risky in terms of adequate traffic flow. In addition, many fans did not allow themselves sufficient time to get to the venue, the report says.
Concert report: main findings
- MCD to pay compensation to 2,500 concertgoers: full refunds to those without seating, partial refunds to those with downgraded seating and €100 vouchers to other complainants;
- greater consideration should be given to access issues where there is only one access point to a concert;
- the Garda should publish traffic management plans before such events;
- greater preparedness for bad weather is needed for large outdoor events.
