By all accounts, it should have been another glittering evening of Bollywood music in Melbourne. Fans had gathered in anticipation, seats filled early, lights dimmed late. But as minutes turned into hours with no sign of the headlining act, frustration simmered. Whispers turned into complaints. And when Neha Kakkar finally arrived on stage ( a full three hours late) even the usually forgiving Aussie audience had reached its breaking point.
But what truly tipped the night into controversy was a viral video that surfaced soon after. Shared widely on Reddit, it showed Neha Kakkar on stage, in tears, profusely apologising to her audience. Trolls were quick to mock her apology and questioning her professionalism.
Neha Kakkar crying for being 3 hrs late at a Melbourne show
byu/offensive-but-true inBollyBlindsNGossip
But as it turns out, what was perceived as celebrity’s laziness was in fact a night marred by chaos, broken promises, and a vanishing act by the show’s organisers.
In a heartfelt social media post days after the concert, Neha Kakkar broke her silence, detailing the mess that unfolded behind the scenes of the Melbourne leg of her tour. “The organisers ran away with my money,” she alleged. “They didn’t pay the vendors, didn’t give us food or water. My team and I were left to fend for ourselves. I performed for free.”
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In Australia, where the Indian diaspora often shows unwavering love for visiting stars, cheering with gusto, turning up in full Bollywood glam, and often overlooking delays or glitches — this show took an unusual turn. The wait, the lack of communication, and the eventual delay sparked irritation among some attendees. Some hecklers even took to shouting during the performance, a rare display of discontent in a space usually marked by fan devotion.
However, Neeta and Anoop Arya, who attended the concert shared, “Neha sang non-stop till 10.30pm. So all was made-up.”
Neha’s fans, however, were quick to rally around her once her side of the story was known. Many expressed their dismay at the organisers’ mismanagement and praised her professionalism for performing under such distressing circumstances.
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According to Neha, not only were basic arrangements missing like food and accommodation, but the very infrastructure for the show was in jeopardy. The sound vendor, unpaid by the organisers, refused to set up until a last-minute intervention by Neha’s team. The concert nearly didn’t happen at all.
“I was waiting for hours for the sound check,” Neha wrote. “My manager’s calls to the organisers went unanswered. We were unsure if the event was even going ahead.”
Neha’s husband, Rohanpreet Singh later posted online: “Huge respect to my wife and her band, who performed despite so many difficulties and chaos.”
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In the world of touring, especially international gigs involving complex logistics and third-party organisers, things can and do go wrong. But rarely is the mismanagement so dire that it leads to artists being left unpaid, and abandoned.
For the Indian-Australian community who are largely forgiving, the Melbourne debacle serves as a sobering reminder even in the glittering world of celebrity tours, the machinery behind the curtain at times can be painfully flawed. Months of planning in organising a public concert should be a happy experience for all – the guests, the fans and the promoter rather than leaving any of these in tears.
