A cancer survivor who had seeing Andrea Bocelli live in concert on her bucket list has said she feels cheated after his recent Inverness concert.
Sisters Lindsey McLaughlan and Lesley McLuckie travelled from Dundee for the show, paying £150 for each Platinum ticket.
But, like many others they were disappointed with the organisation of the event – which left scores of gig-goers facing huge queues and delays.
Some described it as an “utter shambles” and said they had given up trying to get in.
But having survived two bouts of cancer, Mrs McLuckie, 74, dreamed of seeing the opera singer live and her sister was determined to make that happen.
However Mrs McLaughlan, 61, claims they noticed something amiss when walking to the Caledonian Stadium, saying that “something just didn’t feel right”.
‘It was a total waste of money’
She claimed she and her sister were ushered by “rude” stewards to their designated seats on the right side of the stage.
She said: “We got to our seats, which were Platinum, so we were thinking they must be good seats having paid £150 for each ticket.
“We sat down, and as it started to fill up, we had two men in front of us who blocked our view of the stage.
“We couldn’t see the screen, we couldn’t see the stage, we could hear him but for us, everything was totally blocked out. I didn’t see a thing.”
They were also unhappy that the show had to be delayed due to the queues of people trying to get in.
The pair asked the steward if there was any chance of moving seats, but were quickly shut down.
Mrs McLaughlan claimed they were told “you can’t move seats it’s got nothing to do with me, that’s your seat so you’ll sit there”.
They say their view was so bad that it was not until after the show they realised that Bocelli had a big screen, and a choir and an orchestra behind him.
Mrs McLaughlan said: “We didn’t see any of that – our vision was completely blocked and it was so disappointing. Not once did I put my eyes on Andrea Bocelli.
“My sister had come through cancer twice, and it was on her bucket list to go see Andrea Bocelli. She equally feels so let down by the experience. It was a total waste of money.”
Mrs McLaughlan said that if she knew she wouldn’t be able to see anything and only hear the music she would have saved her money and just listened to a CD in the car.
They have now contacted organisers Caledonia Calling seeking a refund.
Caledonian Calling has been approached for comment.
Speaking about the previous complaints regarding the delays, a spokesman said: “There was an unfortunate delay due to a later than usual arrival of ticketholders at Caledonian Stadium on Friday evening but this was alleviated reasonably quickly once the full situation was appraised.
“Everyone was seated successfully once inside the venue and they enjoyed one of the most memorable shows ever to be seen in the city, let alone at Caledonian Stadium. “
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