The first turn off was the accosting of patrons by numerous touts reselling tickets last Saturday night at the “Sparrow Meets the Dragon’ show. And just like the minibus touts, there was nothing unobtrusive about these guys; they were in your face and in full view of the numerous police officers providing security at Thirst Park.
Why does this have to happen? Has lawlessness become an industry now? And it was not as if there were one or two touts, more like seven or eight. Admittedly, there would have been some people who only decided at the last moment that they wanted to attend, but surely a ticket booth somewhere just outside the venue could have catered to these patrons. We did not notice many people buying tickets and we just hope that all those who set out to profit off the evening were left with a considerable number of useless tickets on their hands. That would have been justice indeed.
The second turn off was the inadequate sanitary facilities and the resulting insanitary situation which developed. Three portable toilets, the only ones available, were set up towards the back of the venue, close to the backstage area. Two were supposed to be for ‘ladies’ and one for men. There were more than 1,500 people at the venue and some had been there from as early as 8 pm and before as they wanted to occupy the chairs that were set out. Bars were open around the ground and drinks were flowing. By 10 pm, the stench emanating from these three ‘facilities’ was nauseatingly high. The backstage area reeked and it could also be smelled from yards away. Still, long lines of women formed to use them.
A few of the more fastidious women approached and then walked away towards the Banks DIH bar at the back of the ground where there are toilet facilities, which they believed they might have been able to use. No such luck. Those were for artistes only and the gate leading in was locked tight and heavily guarded on both sides by police officers with only a single word in their vocabulary, “no”.
The women then began to use the single ‘port-a-potty’ that had been earmarked for the men. The men, who it seemed had to “go” more frequently, turned to the various posts along the fence around the venue to relieve themselves.
Two hours later, no one could even go near the portable toilets and after begging the hard-nosed cops at the gate to the bar, rather than leave the show, women also started to relieve themselves at various points around Thirst Park. While some went close to the fence, in a slightly darker area, others did it near a truck, which had apparently taken equipment to the venue and was parked close to backstage. It was an awful, disgusting sight as the unashamed among the female species exposed themselves to all and sundry, disposing of streams and streams of urine. We would not be surprised if it were found the next day that all of the vegetation in those areas had dried up.
It boggles the mind that whoever was responsible for that detail imagined that three portable toilets would have been sufficient for such a large crowd at a venue where beer, which works on the bladder, was being sold. That was nothing short of ridiculous. On the other hand, the person/s responsible for renting a venue that can easily hold 2,000 people, should insist on having more portable toilets. As a matter of fact, after so many years of renting Thirst Park, Banks ought to have installed a row of toilets somewhere outside its bar, which people leasing the venue would pay extra for, as well as employ a cleaner for the night.
And there’s more. By far, the senior police officer, who along with a female junior officer stood near a bar guzzling beers, took the biscuit. Not only that, the male senior officer was treated a “back-ball”, no make that several “back-balls” by some very enthusiastic women and then persuaded to pose for photographs with at least two of them draped suggestively around him. Oh what a night! (thescene@stabroeknews.com)
