Popular comedian Trevor Noah, who is in India for a comedy tour, called off two stand-up shows in Bengaluru due to 'technical issues' and apologised to the audience members for the inconvenience.
After three gigs in New Delhi last week, the 39-year-old comedian was scheduled to perform at the Manpho Convention Centre in Bengaluru on September 27 and 28 as part of his 'Off The Record Tour'.
A video clip on social media purportedly shows Noah apologising to the crowd that he won't be able to perform with 'bad sound' and promised fans a refund.
Noah also took to his X account on Wednesday (September 27) night to make the announcement.
'Dear Bengaluru India, I was so looking forward to performing in your amazing city but due to technical issues we've been forced to cancel both shows. We tried everything but because the audience can't hear the comedians on stage there's literally no way to do a show,' the Emmy Award-winning comedian wrote in the post.
The former Daily Show host assured all ticket holders will receive a 'full refund'. The tickets were priced, beginning from Rs 2,000.
'... and again I'm so sorry for both the inconvenience and disappointment this has never happened to us before,' he further said.
Online ticketing platform BookMyShow, producers and promoters of Noah's tour, issued a formal apology and promised a complete refund to ticket holders within '8-10 working days'.
'Bengaluru, we are extremely sorry for the inconvenience caused at Trevor Noah's Off The Record show at Manpho Convention Centre on September 27th. The Bengaluru leg of the India Tour for both September 27th & 28th stands cancelled.
'All customers who purchased tickets for both shows will get a complete refund within 8-10 working days. We deeply regret this experience that our valuable customers faced and hope to be able to bring Trevor back to this amazing city at the earliest,' the platform said in a statement shared early Thursday morning on X.
Social media users commented on Noah's post, with some saying Bengaluru played a 'joke' on the comedian himself and others criticising the organisers for giving a bad name to the infrastructure of the city, known as the 'Silicon Valley of India'.
A section of netizens also claimed that the comedian got stranded in Bengaluru traffic and reached his own show late.
According to producers and promoters BookMyShow Live, Noah is next set to perform at the NSCI Dome in Mumbai on September 30 and October 1.
This is his maiden trip to India.
