Fans describe how fights broke out at Robbie Williams gig after ticketing problems
ANGRY British fans described how fights broke out at a Robbie Williams gig after problems over ticketing. They described chaotic scenes at the star’s concert in Austria on Saturday night before he appeared in New York at the Chelsea v Paris St Germain game last night. Many fans who had paid £130 a ticket and flown from the UK to Vienna for the concert raged at appalling errors made by security staff. Organisers were even forced to make a mid concert apology to fans after the cock-up.
Security personnel wrongly stopped VIP fans from entering the exclusive best seats area but people with cheaper tickets were allowed in.
A dad from Leeds, who had brought his daughter to get her first ever concert said: ‘They let Robbie down. They let us down. They turned a dream gig into a nightmare. We didn’t get what we paid for — and they can’t take that moment back.’
‘I’ve never felt so ripped off,’ said one woman who flew in from Manchester. ‘I paid top money, and some random person with a cheaper ticket is standing where I should be. It was daylight robbery.’
The problems came at Vienna’s famous Ernst-Happel-Stadion on Saturday night, where excited 55,000 fans gathered for the sold-out show. Angry scenes erupted outside the VIP entrance. Eye-witnesses said there was shouting, crying, pushing, and confusion as fans begged stewards to let them through – only to be told nothing could be done.
They described bewildered security guards, screaming matches and occasional fights, as the Diamond zone continued to fill with people who hadn’t even paid for the upgrade.The company blamed an “incorrectly instructed checkpoint team” and promised compensation.
A spokesman said: ‘This was not a general failure of security. A single entry crew was misinformed about wristband colours. We deeply regret the mistake. Anyone affected should email us — compensation will be provided.’
But for many, the apology just wasn’t good enough. ‘We don’t want an apology — we want accountability,’ fumed one fan. ‘They ruined the night for hundreds of people. Heads should roll.’
Robbie has always had a great rapport with his Austrian fans and is due back in the country for another gig later in the year.
