Furious concertgoers were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic for hours as they tried to get in and out of a Western Australian Robbie Williams concert, with organizers apologizing for the “absolutely terrible” event.
Thursday night's show at Swan Valley's Nikola Estate Winery quickly descended into chaos as ticket holders had to walk two kilometers to the main entrance after traffic was backed up.
Many missed the support act Gaz Coombes, Lufthaus and YO! MAFIA, and even the beginning of Williams' show.
The 'disaster' replayed at the end of the event, with so much traffic that many went to sleep in their cars – some sharing on social media that they were still stuck in the car park at 1.40am.
Organizers are doing their best to avoid a repeat of the debacle when Williams plays another show at the same venue tonight.
Concertgoers attending Robbie Williams' concert at Nikola Estate in Swan Valley were confronted with winding traffic both inside and outside the event
Ticket holders took to social media to express their frustrations, with many having to walk two kilometers from their vehicle to the main entrance of the event, causing them to miss the opening and start of the show
“They are looking at other access options to get people in and out in the future,” Main Roads WA events manager Mike Priest said.
Priest said Main Roads WA had been in contact with the venue and organizers to find out how things could become so chaotic.
To top it all off, the event's shuttle bus, which took concertgoers to and from the venue, became stuck.
“The Robbie Williams concert better be good because it's taken us over two hours to drive from Mount Lawley to Nikola Estate so far and still no where near the finish,” said one frustrated visitor.
'Not happy Jan.'
The traffic never stopped with lines lasting up to four hours on the way there. Many went to sleep in their cars
A second wrote: 'Well done Nikola Estate Winery..been in the car since 11am now leaving Robbie Williams at 12.43pm and no one has moved…. Literally no one…
“Over two hours to leave the winery after seeing Robbie Williams!” said another.
The concert was good, someone added, but the wait was not.
'The Robbie Williams concert was good. 2-3/4 hours to leave Nikola Estate was S**T. We got off at 1:45 AM!!!!!' they cooked.
Organizer Mellen Events apologized on Facebook on Friday morning.
“Regarding the traffic problems we experienced last night during the Robbie Williams concert, we share your disappointment and frustration,” the newspaper said.
An angry concertgoer shared a screenshot of the traffic jam on their Google maps, showing a travel time of 52 minutes for a 2.1 mile journey
Those who did not drive were advised to find an alternate route to the show before one of the shuttle buses became stuck
'We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has caused; we recognize that the traffic delays people experienced were extremely inconvenient.
“We are currently working with the venue and the venue's traffic management team to mitigate this for tonight's show,” Mellen Events added.
“For anyone attending tonight's show, we still recommend arriving as early as possible.”
'Keep an eye on our communication channels for any updates.'
Promoter Brad Mellen told it 6PR radio a lot of planning went into traffic management.
'However, the plans that were drawn up did not meet expectations; “There were a lot of issues that certainly didn't help,” he admitted.
The location also ran out of alcohol early, the Western Australian reported.
Tickets for Williams' penultimate show of his XXV World Tour started at $150, rising to $345 for the “Millennium VIP Package.”
The car park opened at 3.30pm and was advertised as a 10 minute walk to the main entrance, with all parking required to be pre-paid by ticket holders.
Tickets for Williams' penultimate show of his XXV World Tour started at $150, rising to $345 for the 'Millennium VIP Package'