Coke Studio Christmas Concert rescheduled to 2019

File: Coke Studio Christmas Concert at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Concert grounds last Friday, December 7. (Photo: Coca-Cola PH/Twitter)

Concertgoers will have to wait for the year to end to attend the Coke Studio Christmas Concert as it was rescheduled to 2019 due to the “unsafe behavior” the audience have shown during the event held at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Concert grounds last Friday, December 7.

The free concert kicked off on Friday afternoon, with the audience expecting their favorite artists to perform on stage. Local artists Sam Concepcion, Khalil Ramos, Juan Miguel Severo, Quest, Apl.de.ap, Moira dela Torre, as well as local bands like December Avenue and IV of Spades are among those who are lined-up for the Christmas concert.

At around 5 p.m., Coca-Cola announced on Twitter that the admission to the concert was temporarily put on hold as they have reached full capacity, but added that they will re-open the gates once the venue “can safely accommodate more people.”

Thirty minutes later, the organizers then announced that the gates were permanently closed for the crowd’s safety. Since the concert had a huge crowd of fans with some were reportedly showing inappropriate behavior, one of the artists, Quest, went on stage to ask the audience for their cooperation and give respect to each other.

On Twitter, netizen @jlarsbustamante shared what had happened during the event last night.

According to him, before they even entered the concert grounds, concertgoers were already advised to keep calm and refrain from pushing one another — but this is not what other attendees did.

“Pagpasok sa grounds alam na ngang masikip, sumisiksik pa rin (Upon entering the grounds knowing that the area is crowded, some of the fans still forced themselves to fit in on the tiny space), he wrote.

He went on and said, “Pagtapos ng performance ng December Avenue, may band na kumanta (hindi masyadong kilala) tapos nagsisi-sigaw ‘yung iba na ‘tama na ‘yan!’ ‘next!!’ etc. (After December Avenue’s performance, there was this band (not really popular) who performed, then some fans were shouting ‘stop that!’ ‘next!!’) like do y’all know how disrespectful that is?”

At around 6 p.m., the event organizers announced that they were having some technical difficulties which may cause the concert to be delayed for two hours.

“Okay lang sana maghintay pero ang daming ugaling skwater na sigaw nang sigaw ng ‘ILABAS NIYO SI MOIRA,’ ‘SI MOIRA LANG PINUNTA NAMIN DITO,’ ‘GANITO BA ‘PAG LIBRE?’ ‘ANLAYO NG PINUNTA NAMIN TAPOS GANITO LANG (It is okay for us to wait, but these people, whose attitudes were like those of informal settlers, keep on shouting ‘TAKE MOIRA OUT OF STAGE,’ ‘MOIRA WAS THE ONLY REASON WHY WE CAME HERE,’ ‘IS THIS REALLY THE DEAL WHEN IT IS FREE?’ ‘WE CAME ALL THE WAY HERE AND GET TREATED LIKE THIS)?'” the netizen said.

Coca-Cola Philippines then told the crowd that after careful assessment with the Philippine National Police (PNP), SM MOA, the City of Pasay, and all the artists, it decided to cut short the concert and rescheduled it for next year.

“Sobrang disrespectful at toxic ng environment. Kasalanan niyo rin naman kung bakit natigil ‘yung concert kasi wala kayo sa ayos. Nagbatuhan pa ng mga bote pagtapos (They were so disrespectful and the environment was toxic. It was your fault that the concert was cut short because you did not act appropriately. You guys even threw bottles after the event),” he said.

Twitter user @andrei_william, echoed the same sentiment, saying she thinks the organizers were not at fault, but it was the audience who were not “organized and well-disciplined.”

Netizen @haidsfeeling, on the other hand, tweeted, “What happened yesterday in Coke studio concert was really disappointing, but please sana (I hope) you understand na (that) it’s for your safety naman guys.”

For social media user @Iskcactus, the preparation of the artists was “wasted” because of the “ewwy attitude” the people have displayed.

On Saturday, December 8, Coca-Cola Philippines released its official statement, announcing that the concert has been moved to the first quarter of 2019 as their number one priority is “always the safety and security” of the crowd.

“The unsafe behavior of portions of an estimated 15,000 spectators such as pushing, jumping on the barricades, and throwing bottles, threatened the safety of the rest of the concert-goers, despite numerous reminders from authorities present,” it said.

The company then vowed to have a “bigger, better Coke Studio concert for everyone.”

“We will endeavor to get a venue that can accommodate more attendees. Hopefully, we can all enjoy the upcoming concert without putting other people at risk,” it added.

Despite the cancelation, the performers, on their social media accounts, thanked everyone who came to the event and wished for their safety.