Metallica - Metallica Apologise Over Scrapped India Concert

The band was set to headline the F1 Rocks concert in Uttar Pradesh on Friday (28Oct11) but organisers at event management company, the Dna Entertainment Network, postponed the gig until Saturday (29Oct11) due to "technical problems".

However, they failed to secure the necessary permit for Metallica's concert on Saturday and were forced to scrap the show altogether - and the band is devastated to have disappointed their fans, who ran riot at the Leisure Valley venue after the initial postponement announcement on Friday.

A post on their website reads, "We arrived in Delhi on Friday very excited and ready to play our first show ever in India at the F1 Rocks concert. However... we were notified that there was a serious question as to whether the show could proceed with regard to the safety of the concert audience. And our first and foremost concern is always for the safety of you, the fans.

"Once we, along with Dna, the promoters of the show, determined that there was a failure of a security barricade in front of the stage that could not be adequately repaired, the promoter reluctantly announced the postponement of the show until Saturday. Unfortunately, on such short notice the promoters were unable to secure a permit for a show on Saturday. Therefore, Dna announced that we would not be able to play in Delhi.

"We are deeply disappointed with this news as we were looking forward to our first experience in India as much as you guys were."

Four of the organisers behind the show, including Rajesh Chandwani, operational head of the Dna Entertainment Network, were reportedly arrested over allegations they oversold tickets to the gig.