David Wilson takes up the story of the Welsh band and the weather.
Six months have now passed since at least 12,000 fans were unable to attend one of four Stereophonics concerts, held at Brighton, Birmingham and Wembley, while the Beast From The East made it dangerous or impossible to travel. There’s still not a word of recognition or apology from lead singer and band frontman Kelly Jones.
The stories behind at least three of the four concerts are swamped in scandal, as most would agree the concerts should not have gone ahead for reasons of public and staff safety, the weather conditions causing at least ten deaths throughout the country.
Although the band made announcements claiming that all local authorities had given the go ahead, it has been proved (by FOI requests) that this didn’t happen. Indeed there were many police, Met Office and transport notices advising people not to travel at the time.
An untold number (1,000 has been suggested) unable to attend Brighton Arena gave indication that many more would be affected over the next few days as worsening weather and 
storms had been forecast. The band travelled the day before to the next concert, so there was no danger of them being caught out and the decision to continue with the show was made long before conditions worsened.
Although common for a handful of production tickets to become available at a date closer to a show, it seems quite suspicious that up to a thousand standing tickets became available on the day for the sold-out Genting Arena concert.
Around 7,000 fans that couldn’t attend the Birmingham concert were told by public announcement to hold onto their tickets as the band were working with venue & promoter to address the situation with an assured update in a few days. Criticism turned to praise until those few days turned into weeks with still no update.
Tickets sold via the band’s own website and through a CD promotion did not come with an insurance offer, but people who did have insurance lost out as they’d held onto their tickets, as instructed, expecting to use them for a later show as implied by the statement. Ticket holders for the other shows, including two at Wembley Arena, were not given the courtesy of any announcement, but had hoped the same applied to them. In reality they had just been ignored and overlooked.
When complaints an d queries to band and venues were finally answered after three weeks, punters were informed that there would be no show or refund, but they should receive an offer of discount to the Rize festival where the band were headlining. It seems that only those that had complained or written received these emails and even fewer received the offer, which turned out to be a total of £25 discount to the underwhelming replacement for the V-Festival. This was an inadequate and totally unsuitable offer for the majority that had spent hundreds on multiples of tickets.
This disappointing saga has led to a Facebook campaign and the group ‘Let Down By The Stereophonics’ now has over a thousand members. They have vowed to continue campaigning until a suitable offer or refund is made. Some of the members are Welsh and say they have supported the band since before they were famous, but are now so disgusted by their treatment they will no longer listen to or spend any more money on the band.
Thats me still got my ticket and waiting, £150 spent on x3 tickets and all I got offered was a midweek liverpool gig, in this day and age its tougher in the music industry you would think a band with working class roots would be more understsnding, used to love the phonics
Absolutely disgusted that there has been no apology or offer of a refund/rearranged gig.
Tickets aren’t cheap and I bought these for my husbands birthday- so very disappointed with Stereophonics and Genting Arena.
I am one of the thousand of fans let down by the band I was looking forward to going has tickets for my sister and brother in law I live in Wales they live in Oxfordshire but unfortunately neither could get to the Birmingham gig was overjoyed when the message through fb arrived saying they were going to sort out something else but as you see nothing has materialised which is disgusting.
We feel greatly let down by the band especially after issued a notice to say they were working with promoters to sort something out. Paul Weller rescheduled his Birmingham gig to the end of this month so what can’t They?
I was very disappointed that they did not do the right thing and cancel the concert. My partner and I had tickets to the Birmingham concert, we was looking forward to seeing the band but was not prepared to risk our lives or end up stranded to get there, we have young children at home. They have handled this all wrong, they are disrespectful and clearly all about the money. It is your fans that get you this status and you trash them, shame on you!
I was one of the thousands left disolussioned with this band and out of pocket. We made the decision not to travel to London as the beast from the East swept over the UK.. We live in a small village in Nottinghmamshire and the snow was quite deep as was the roads from here to London. We had heard about Genting Arena and from friends who were already in London, they advised us not to travel as it had taken them many hours and the journey was treacherous in parts.
We had ticket insurance so decided to claim for our losses but we were told as the weather was not severe enough we would not get a penny…I have saved these messages and was not happy!
But the singer of the band had asked us to hold onto our tickets, so we felt relieved that we would get to see the band at a later date…the rest is as they say history.
I was one of those who decided after taking the advice of the various agencies not to attend the Birmingham concert. Still have my tickets and I’m still waiting for the band to ‘make good’ on their announcement made after the concert. Not holding my breath…. but want to say thank you to David and the Facebook page for all the hard work they put in. Without them I literally would have no information regarding the whole farce.
I lost out having bought 4 tickets and paid for hotel rooms no refund or apology I rang and spoke on Feb and was told it was going ahead despite travel warnings telling people not to. I did receive email for discount to Rize but can’t make date as on holiday. Really feel let down . I was and still am £100 ‘s of pounds out of pocket .
Like many of 1000’s of fans, I was unable to attend the show because of the weather. This group has been trying to get everyone a decent outcome from the band and to be treated fairly. Unfortunately there’s fans out there who have chosen not to support but to troll and abuse this group. David and Amanda have been pivotal in providing updates and relentlessly keeping this moving forward.
We are from Pembrokeshire and we’re tempted to set off at about 4ish in the afternoon, however the BBC weather was still advising people not to travel with the snow that was coming in. We decided against it and how glad I am that we made that decision, by 7 o’clock our roads were impassable, and we had friends that got stuck in Carmarthen, we would never have made Birmingham. I knew that the band would sort something out for their fans, what with them being a Welsh band who have always said they are a people’s band, how wrong I was. My wife is 70, I don’t think spending a night in a car was ever an option for us, cheers lads, your appreciation of your fans has been noted
It’s about time the band showed some professionalism and courtesy towards their fans over this issue. I attend many concerts each month and have never felt so let down by a band I have passionately followed for 20yrs. I couldn’t travel to the Wembley gigs as public transport changes meant I would be unable to get back from Wembley to Kent after the show. To make it home, I would have had to leave Wembley at 9:15pm to make the last train on the revised time tables which would have meant seeing just a couple of songs from one of my favourite live acts. And that would have been dependent on that training running. It’s irresponsible of the band and their management to encourage people to travel in such conditions, against all public safety announcements at the time. I also bought my tickets as part of the CD pre sale where no insurance was offered, so I was never given an option to protect my tickets against such a weather event. So, through no choice of my own, I was unable to attend the show due to extenuating circumstances, circumstances the band made the effort to acknowledge at the time, but circumstances they have clearly chosen to ignore following the shows. Terrible disrespect to their fans, I am very disappointed in their ignorance of this issue and lack of consideration. It would be so simple for them to fix this. Instead, they have lost a chunk of their core fan base.
I was furious with the band’s lack of care for their fans. Now I’m genuinely hurt. I’ve followed them for 20 years and their lack of regard for their fans safety is harrowing. To put people’s lives at risk by carrying on with the concert is money grabbing. To not offer a rescheduled gig or refunds when every local authority advised not to travel is selfish. I’m hoping they’ll do the right thing.
5 months later and still nothing.
This band is a disgrace!
I’m one of the disappointed Birmingham fans. Won’t be seeing them again. We’ve been ignored time and time again when this could have quite easily been addressed.
I too was one of the thousands that feel so let down by the Stereophonics!!. Myself and my partner left Hereford in plenty of time to reach the concert in Birmingham , only to find that within an hour the main A4103 road from Hereford to Worcester was getting worse , and many cars and lorries were getting stuck. we decided not to risk going any further, and decided to head back home… The conditions of the roads proved impassable so we abandoned our car and ended up having to walk over an hour to get home. We just accepted the fact that it was a concert that we couldn’t get to , BUT after the band gave an announcement that they were trying to organise something for the thousands of fans that couldn’t make it I still had a little hope….. But since then nothing !!!! I joined the facebook group and have since found out about the band giving false information about authorities giving the go ahead etc. I have asked via the bands facebook page if there was any further news to their statement only to receive a huge amount of abuse and foul language from their so called “fans”.. I find it totally unbelievable that a band of this stature can let down so many fans that have spent so much money on tickets to see them. Something really needs to be investigated regarding this , many people have said that its no longer a case of losing their hard earned money it is now a matter of principle.
I just find it hard to understand how a band as big as StereophonIcs could just totally ignore thousands and thousands of people! Six months and not a single word expressed to us!! WHY? Very disappointed! The whole fiasco has been underhanded and arrogant!!!
I am one of the disappointed Birmingham fans who could not attend the concert at the Genting Arena on 1 March 2018 due to the snow. I was bitterly disappointed but resigned to the fact that it was just ‘one of those things’. However my hopes were raised when it was announced on national TV (The One Show) that the band were working with the venue & promoter to address the situation and that there would be an update in a few days. Five months later, I am still waiting for an update just like thousands of other disappointed Stereophonics fans. It is the lack of respect and consideration for their fans that I find most disappointing, many of whom have been following and supporting the band for 20 years.
I was also disappointed to miss the Wembley arena gig on 2 March. I had every intention of attending, but with the Southwestern Railways announcement that all services out of Waterloo would cease at 9pm, travel home was not possible. I understand that approximately 3/4 of the crowd did attend the show, not having the problems of those coming from further afield, making the show viable for the promoters. So why, under these unusual circumstances, couldn’t the band/promoters refund the ticket price (while retaining the service charges) of those who couldn’t get there? After all, if they’d sold 3000 fewer tickets, the show would have gone ahead with just less profit being realized. This goodwill gesture would have gone far to show that the band actually cares about the well-being of their fans, not just their money.
I bought 5 tickets as Christmas presents for myself and children. We left Ely in Cambs at 2.30pm on the day of the concert in an attempt to get to the Genting Arena but because of the atrocious weather we were forced to turn back at Kettering. The fact that the Band announced that they were working with the Promoters to address the situation gave us all hope that something would be done. However, 5 months on, not one word has been heard. The silence is deafening!
What a way to treat the fans, many of whom have supported the Band since the beginning.
Shame on you
We live in Sedgley near Dudley, a mere 18 miles from the Genting, and the roads were absolutely atrocious. We couldn’t even attempt the journey.
Shame on the band, their response, and their wealth.
I’m one of the fans that couldn’t get to the Birmingham concert. The way the band have treated fans is disgraceful.
Fans are what keep bands going, no fans no band. The band has had numerous occasions they could have genuinely (not half heartedly offer a discount on the purchase of tickets to a concert 4 hours away – which wouldn’t have gone to our email anyway as we purchased the tickets from a lady online) offered a full refund of the concert ticket to those still in possession of tickets that were unable to attend. I’m not sure if this offer wasn’t made purely because some of those who managed to get there and enjoy the concert may still have their tickets and could claim? The highways, police and transport companies all said it was unsafe to travel and the freedom of information act has shown no request was made from the venue for such information. This whole issue has had lies and ignorance by the band members and it’s management company from the start of all this unfortunate issue. All it needed was common decency and not greed and an attempted cover up of facts.
Bought tickets 3 x £75 tickets for the Birmingham gig, 2 of which were Christmas presents for my brother n sis in law.. Bought in good faith but clearly the band do not care for fans who part with their well earned cash when the authorities clearly advised the public not to travel. We tried!…but was going no where fast. Some have said…we should have made better plans to get there….We live in Brum..since when should we take days off to see a band play in the same City for 1night…IF we had travelled during the morning….We wouldn’t have got home!…We would have been stranded there…coz guess what…no trains. Wisely so because of the adverse weather conditions. The City came to a stand still.
The band won’t be seeing anymore of my well earned cash again…I just want a refund now…
I was part of a group of 6 who could not make it that evening. We left the house but due to an accident were unable to join the motorway, alternative routes were starting to get blocked and every news report we heard on the radio were advising folk to stay indoors and avoid the roads – we heeded advice and were gutted to have not only lost a lot of money but to actually miss our fave band! We had hope when there was an announcement that our tickets would potentially still have value as the band were ‘sorting something out’ – unfortunately that came to nothing and I am ashamed to say that the band that famously supports working classes are quite happy to keep money for performances they could not see. How much would it really cost them to allow tickets to be swapped for ones at future gigs?!
We are from Wales so have followed the band and bought merchandise for over 20yrs. My pay her Stuart (who is also a member of this group) bought the tickets to see them play on March 1st 2018 as a treat as I have a health condition that will see me bedridden in God knows how many years or months so may have been the last time I would see them live. So to say I am disappointed is an understatement. We obviously could not travel as the Beast from the East struck us earlier that day and would have expected the concert to have been cancelled. We were surprised to hear that it was given the go ahead. We got insurance but with the announcement to hold onto our tickets we did not claim then as we hadn’t heard anything it made it good so we were not and are still not happy that Kelly Jones or the band have ignored us. We will no longer be supporting them. After all it’s us fans that got them where they are today!!
We were unable to get there our lanes where we were snowed in, after the comment was put on by them that another concert would be arranged for the thousands that couldn’t make it I was so pleased, yet they went back on their word.
Their Band member is so rude about us, we were not offered Insurance from Amazon and why shouldn’t we be upset, £120 lost in tickets and Hotel and 4,000 unable to get to Birmingham and it seems they sold extra tickets off the back of this… Its aChrime
So disappointed with the band. We had tickets for London and were due to travel from Edinburgh, but could not get there due to the snow and no flights or trains operating. 6 months without a satisfactory response. C’man Guys, keep it real and look after the fans that put you in the fortunate position you find yourselves in today.
I bought 2 tickets costing over £100 for the Birmingham gig as a surprise for my wife’s birthday. The Stereophonics are/were her favourite band. It took me over 2 hours to travel what is usually a 30 minute trip back from work, so we made the difficult decision not to make the journey to the Genting Arena knowing we’d miss the show.
Imagine how amazed we were when the band issued the message about keeping hold of our tickets as arrangements would be made for the fans who missed the gig. Since then I’ve heard nothing. No offers for other gigs or festivals and certainly no sort of apology from the band.
I’ve been left disgusted by the lack of response from a globally idolized band who’s members I’m sure will be worth a pretty penny off the back of their fans hard earned ticket money. The lack of common decency and manners they have shown to the several thousand fans that missed the gig through no fault of their own sickens me and clearly goes to show the band feel they are clearly head and shoulders above the lowly working class fan they claim to be heroes for.
The Stereophonics really need to make good on their promise they made back in March 2018, if not only to appease the 1000’s of decent hard working folk that churned out their hard earned cash to go and see them. Let’s be honest, it’s the least they could do.
My husband and I were supposed to attend as it was my birthday that day and the tickets were a gift from my husband. My in laws were coming over to babysit and we were both excited. When the snow came down it took my husband over 2 hours to get home from work (16miles) and by then the roads around our house were treacherous so we thought we’d get the train but we’re informed that the trains had been cancelled. We deliberated for 30 minutes by which time our I laws decided to stay the night at ours regardless of our decision because it was too dangerous for them to get home. We decided that with our two gorgeous little girls tucked up in bed that it was too risky, so with a heavy heart stayed at home knowing that we weren’t alone in making that decision. We were delighted to read a tweet from the band to tell us to keep hold of our tickets as they were working something out. Three weeks later, we’d heard nothing then friends who also couldn’t make the gig asked if we’d received an email offering discounted festival tickets where the band were playing or tickers for the Liverpool gig? We’d received neither! We were infuriated, ruined my birthday and lost all respect for the band and its entourage!
Crazy the concert went ahead in the first place! And to find out they made more money by releasing more tickets hours ahead of the concert knowing there’d be thousands unattending is disgusting. Just shows money is their priority, not the safety of their hands. What disappoints me most is that after the initial (we’ll do something for our fans) comment because of the bad publicity, they have just let things get quiet and thought sod it! It has put me off buying tickets to a well known band ever again. I certainly don’t want to loose so much money again.
We tried to travel to the Birmingham concert but had to turn back a few miles from home due to the high winds causing snow to drift across the road – very dangerous driving conditions. We only live 40mins from Birmingham. It is very poor how everyone who was unable to get there has been treated – people who have spent their hard earned cash on this band. Stereophonics working class heroes? I think not.
Have suppprted the band for over 20 years, seen them live about 6 times. Had Four Tickets for the Wembley concert, live in North Norfolk, roads were un-passable. Had an email on the 28th March which went to my spam box with an offer of a discount to Rise but it had a validity of 4 Days over the Easter Weekend, when we were away (like most families). Then on the 16th May I had another email go to my spam box offering complimentary tickets for the Liverpool Concert on the 30th on a first come first served basis with a validity until the 24th May. Needless to say the tickets were not as good as those we had paid for at Wembley, and due to the location and being on a Thursday we would have had to take time of work and additional expenses to stay over, so could not do it.
I am one of the many more thousands gay have seen Stereophonics many times and are completely sick to death of this absolute nonsense! Sure it must be annoying to lose some money on some concert tickets, but come on people, ask yourselves a question, is this really the worst thing that has happened in your life? Is this really something to keep on bitching and moaning about six months on? If it is, I’m extremely jealous of you!
Pete, for most people affected this is not just about losing money on tickets. It is about the way the affair has been dealt with from the start. It is about a rich money making industry only concerned about money & not the safety & welfare of the people paying. The band themselves are from working class roots & Kelly likes to mention this & how important his fans are. Now he is a multi millionaire, but has failed to show any sign of caring for 12,000 people that helped him to achieve his success.He could easily have sorted this mess with no loss to himself, but has chosen not to.
It’s about time that the let down group call it a day. At the end of the day the concert went ahead, I know people from all over the country and from other countries who made it to the gig, yes it snowed, yes some places must have been difficult to travel from but snow is an act of god and you unfortunately cannot change the weather. They will always be a risk when buying a ticket to travel in winter, I do feel sorry for the fact that many were out of pocket and missed the show but there is also a lesson to be learnt… always buy insurance, it’s only a few pound extra and covers people’s backs, if no insurance is offered then go with a company who offers it, also saying “we were told to keep hold of the tickets” is not an excuse either as nobody said they will offer another show! That was just presumed, keeping hold of tickets could mean anything from don’t throw them away take them to the insurance to let us see if there’s anything we can do, which is likely that the band tried, and it’s out of their hands, it’s a pointless campaign and these people don’t have a leg to stand on, stereophonics have a massive following with hundreds of thousands of fans who will stand by them and still buy tickets and merchandise so this group of people will not leave a tiny mark on them. These people just need to let it go.
All the comments about terms & conditions, wasn’t their fault, don’t have to do anything, they’ll still be multimillionaires with thousands of fans and should have bought insurance just goes to prove one thing: they don’t care about their fans!
None of the above should matter because if they did care, they would’ve wanted to do something for the thousands that missed out without any prompting. The fact that the group still exists after all this time without being addressed is proof that they are not bothered!
Still holding on to 3 tickets for gig scheduled for 1st March 2018 at Genting Arena Birmingham Still waiting for an update after nearly 6 months We are disgusted with how Stereophonics have ignored 1000’s of fans who weren’t prepared to risk their lives travelling to the gig to see them Kelly Jones actually said when he saw how many empty seats there were at the Genting that it was a UNIQUE situation which in our opinion deserves a UNIQUE SOLUTION FOR ALL CONCERNED We just find it unbelievable that they haven’t said ANYTHING since SHOCKING ATTITUDES Every fan affected by the unprecedented weather this March in Birmingham Wembley Brighton and we believe Sheffield was affected should be entitled to either refunds or their tickets should be valid for future Stereophonics gigs at the venues the tickets were purchased for Stereophonics could right this fiasco if they wanted to They obviously don’t care.We still hope that they will see the error of their ways MAYBE TOMORROW!