Sickbeats - 'Where Music Takes Over' - Was MBS' first ever music festival a success?

Written by: Hannah Phua (23-O4), Ting Yan Tong (23-I1)

Designed by: Hannah Phua (23-O4)

'Where Music Takes Over' Publicity PosterSource: Marina Bay Sands

Marina Bay Sands launched their inaugural music festival 'Where Music Takes Over' in July, featuring more than 10 concerts over a short span of 3 weeks. The highly diverse line-up ranged from renowned indie-rock pioneers, The Strokes, to the “Prince of Reggaeton” J Balvin, with the (in)famous rock band, The 1975, and singer-actress Sabrina Carpenter, headlining the festival. 

Festival Line-upSource: Marina Bay Sands

However, when these critically acclaimed musicians announced MBS as their venue, many netizens took to social media to express their concerns. Sabrina Carpenter, 1975 and The Strokes held their concerts in the Halls E & F of the Convention Centre, earning many complaints from fans who feared that they would not be able to get tickets due to the small capacity. Other concerns included difficulty in seeing the acts due to many pillars blocking the view. 

So were the worries of the fans attested? Sickbeats takes to the EJ campus, to hear from our own Eunoians about their thoughts on the festival.

Since this is MBS’ first ever music festival, how do you think they did in terms of hosting the acts?

Holding area and staff - 9/10

It was a great relief to fans when MBS staff opened up Hall C as a waiting area, allowing fans who had been queuing since 6am the opportunity to rest their feet. Strangely enough, the waiting area was far larger than the actual concert venue, but this meant that fans had more than enough space to sit down comfortably.

1975 concert goers responded that the queue was poorly managed and they were still in the waiting area by 8pm, the time the concert was supposed to start . Conversely, Sabrina fans commented that the holding area was opened early, with staff efficiently arranging them in neat rows to escort them to the concert venue later on. Therefore, it seemed like MBS managed to learn from earlier concerts and improved their system to better facilitate the following performances.

Queue and security - 5/10

Many fans were alarmed by the walk from the holding area to the venue. Having to navigate through dim corridors and down seemingly endless steep stairs, fans decked out in glamorous outfits and heeled shoes precariously hobbled down the stairs. Some of them even gave up and removed their heels midway. At some point, I paused and pondered to myself: was I about to get trafficked? 

Other amenities - 7/10

There were plenty of amenities in the hall, with a cloakroom to store your belongings and a bar to purchase food and beverages. The toilets were also extremely accessible, with the options of portable and normal toilets, thus ensuring that queues were kept short.

However, there were no water dispensers, thus everyone had to buy the ridiculously overpriced $5 mineral water. It would also have been great if customers were allowed to keep the caps of the bottled water they purchased as ensuring that their water didn’t spill proved to be a difficult task when you’re among other concertgoers dancing and bumping into each other.

Compared to other venues, what are some key differences of MBS?

The most definitive difference would be how small the venue was, thus making the competition for the limited tickets extremely intense. However, this also meant that you can still see the artists even as you comfortably hang around at the back, away from the sweaty crowd. 

Another large difference is that the area is entirely air conditioned. From arriving in the MRT up to the concert venue, one is completely shielded from the elements, thanks to the interconnectivity of the integrated mall. 

Which factor is more significant to your concert experience: venue or the fans?

Our Eunoians collectively agreed that the behaviour of the fans play the most important role in making or breaking one’s concert experience. Although the shoving amongst fans was pretty bad in some concerts, this is inevitable in all standing pens. A different venue would not have made a significant difference. As one of our respondents said, “The most important factor is the mood and atmosphere that the audience and artist creates. I could be having more fun at the MPH, than in a concert that has no one singing along.”