Nine-piece OPM band Ben & Ben held their much-awaited Homecoming Concert last December 18 at the SMDC Festival Grounds in Paranaque. The special night had a reported 50,000 turnout composed of fans eager to bask in the folk-pop band’s mahiwagang music. But while the concert was a good memory for fans who got to see their favorite band live, it was a nightmare for others who attended.

A hellish queue

Before Liwanag (Ben & Ben’s fans) had fun at the concert, they had to endure lining up for hours outside the concert grounds with minimal crowd control. At one point, the queue even reached as far as SM Mall of Asia Arena, about a 10-minute walk from SMDC Festival Grounds. Upset fans documented the queue mess and expressed their dismay on social media.

“Aside from the line where we were kanina, gusto kong mag-wala [so] much pero bilang di namin kinaya yung crowd we decided to just not attend,” tweeted a concertgoer.

Some decided to skip the concert altogether since they couldn’t find the end of the line. Reports say that an estimated 50,000 attendees filled the concert grounds and the high turnout seemed to overwhelm the marshalls. To make matters worse, it was a rainy evening.

An estimated 50,000 fans attended Ben&Ben’s Homecoming Concert at SMDC Festival Grounds. #BenAndBenHomecoming2022 pic.twitter.com/qPjdlEMIxO

— Philippine Concerts (@philconcerts) December 18, 2022

What was even more disappointing for most attendees was the fact that falling in line didn’t make sense since everybody crowded the entrance anyway.

“After pumila from MOA sa isang ‘linya’ tsaka mo lang malalaman na di pala yun ang totoong line hinati hati pa kami to 3 lines only to find out na wala palang pila at unahan nalang sa main entrance dami pang sumisingit (Napaka bulok ng sistema),” narrated a concertgoer.

Attendees were upset about the lack of organization

The official concert site map showed there are six entrances to the venue — two each for sections Leaves, Maybe the Night, and Paninindigan Kita. However, it seems as if these entrances were poorly managed with “uninformed ushers, no signage, and very minimal and lenient security.”

“Site map, site map pa kayo. You did us and Ben & Ben wrong. A lot of people chose not to watch the concert anymore cos of your inefficiency. And I heard overcrowded sa loob. You had months to polish this but what [the f***]?!” said one tweet calling out Ovation Productions, the concert organizer.

“So anong use ng 4 entrances sa floor plan kung hindi rin naman pala magagamit??” asked another netizen on Twitter.

Another even noted that the marshalls and ushers did not properly scan attendees’ tickets: “They did not even bother to scan our tickets. They just asked if may ticket ba and vaccination card then makakapasok na kaagad.”

Others noted that they weren’t even asked for their ticket or vaccination card: “Sa amin, walang scan ng ticket, walang check ng bag or vax ID. Pasok na. Salamat na lang na pinag-adya tayo from major untoward incident, pero di talaga maganda nangyari kanina.”

Fans were upset that the concert became a sort of “free for all”.

Going to concerts shouldn’t be this stressful.

Nevertheless, people enjoyed the concert

The crowd raises their cellphones and sings along with Ben&Ben’s “Dear” here at SMDC Festival Grounds. #BenAndBenHomecoming2022 | @charmiepagulong pic.twitter.com/2X6KsRWpw9

— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) December 19, 2022

Even though getting there was an ordeal, fans of the band still enjoyed the show. Ben & Ben sang their hit songs “Leaves,” “Pagtingin,” “Maybe the Night,” “Kathang Isip,” and more.

The crowd raises their cellphones and sings along with Ben&Ben’s “Dear” here at SMDC Festival Grounds. #BenAndBenHomecoming2022 | @charmiepagulong pic.twitter.com/2X6KsRWpw9

— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) December 19, 2022

Concertgoers who stayed until the end had a blast singing along to Ben & Ben songs.

The concert ended with a beautiful fireworks display.

The Homecoming Concert was a postponed send-off

Ben & Ben’s Homecoming Concert is the folk band’s last for the year. It was initially a Send-Off Concert scheduled for September 3 before the band embarked on their first North American tour. Unfortunately, with typhoon Henry wreaking havoc that weekend, the band and Ovation Productions decided to postpone the concert and move it to December 18.

As of writing, neither Ben & Ben nor Ovation Productions have released statements addressing the backlash from the event.

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