I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Ministry of Culture and G7 for bringing MTV to Malta, and MTV for choosing Malta to stage the Isle of MTV Concert. Well done to all local and foreign acts, including the various DJs who played on the night, for a spectacular concert.

However, the organisation and security at the event left much to be desired. The crowds were too large to control and there weren't enough human resources to cater for the health and safety of the people present on the Floriana Granaries.

I chose to buy a VIP ticket with the idea that the VIP section, because of its smaller crowd, would be in a better place to watch the concert. How mistaken I was!

To begin with, VIP ticket-holders were left to queue in the sun because the gates only opened 15 minutes before the concert. Nowhere was this stated on the tickets purchased. The tickets simply said that the show started at 7 p.m., thus implying that the gates would be open, allowing one to find a suitable place in VIP.

The VIP seating (or what is commonly called the Golden Circle) is supposedly there to get the ticket-holder closer to the stage, however this was not the case here. We were situated towards the middle of the Granaries on the side of the Catholic Institute. The front part of the Golden Circle (and thus the part closest to the stage) was reserved for guests such as MPs, TV presenters, building contractors etc. Apparently, the only available tickets on the night were only there to generate more income for the organisers.

I would also like to ask the authorities concerned what has happened to the legislation prohibiting the sale of alcohol to under-16s. Many of the youngsters in the crowd were drinking massive amounts of beer which was flowing freely.

The heat did not help either and many fights broke out, but no security personnel were around to stop them. Another worrying surprise came in the lack of first-aid personnel. At a certain point, during the concert, a member of the audience needed urgent help after fainting. She was cared for by MPs (Tonio Fenech and David Aguis) and the Valletta mayor himself! Hats off to their timely help in pulling the poor woman out of the suffocating crowd and treating her as best as they could, but where was all the security and first-aid promised from days before the concert? Many people jumped the barricade to join their friends at the already over-crowded VIP area and upon asking them to go back, they hurled abuse at us.

The next time thousands of liri of our money is spent on such an event, some more should be spent on medical and rescue personnel. By paying Lm30 for my ticket, not only should I have been guaranteed my money's worth but also my own health and safety!

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