Concerts Full Of Controversies: Songs Ban To Theft, Dil-Luminati Tour Draws More Criticism Than Love

Diljit Dosanjh: Immense excitement followed the announcement of Dil-luminati India tour in early September. Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh, after playing at sold-out concerts in US, Canada and Middle East, finally got his desi fans excited when he announced that he would perform in 10 cities in India, including Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Pune, Kolkata, Bangalore, Indore and Chandigarh. However, his tour has been at the center of controversies ever since he kicked off his tour in the heart of India, Delhi, and in fact, even before.

Black marketing of Dil-luminati tour tickets

After Diljit's India tour tickets went live, they were sold out within minutes. Later, the passes landed on websites like Ticketmaster at high prices, some even crossing the ₹1 lakh mark. This raised suspicions and led to the filing of PIL over alleged scalping and black marketing of the event tickets. In the matter, the Delhi High Court has sought responses from the Union Ministries of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), Finance, Information and Broadcasting and other respondents.

Delhi concert begins on a sour note

Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh wowed fans in Delhi with his high-energy gig ahead of Diwali in 2 back-to-back shows. However, for some attendees, the excitement was dampened by logistical issues at the venue. Some concert-goers voiced their disappointment online, describing the event as “absolute chaos”. Many social media posts highlighted the appalling condition of the washrooms, especially women's, mentioning that they lacked proper lighting, had a foul odor, and were unsanitary—hardly what one would anticipate after spending thousands on tickets. Others criticised the organisers for their mishandling of the concert.

Other issues like fake ticket sales outside the venue, theft and traffic woes.

JLN stadium trashed

The state that the Delhi concert venue Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was left in drew the ire of athletes and sports teams. India’s premier track and field venue was trashed and covered in debris and garbage after the shows concluded. Photos post-concert went viral on social media, hinting at how athletics equipment was broken and thrown to the sides. This resulted in athletes losing their valuable training days.

The Delhi concerts concluded on a bittersweet note as the Dil-luminati India tour moved to Jaipur.

Diljit apologises for Dil-luminati tour ticket scam

Diljit began his Jaipur gig with an apology to his fans who could not get tickets to his India tour. He broke his long-observed silence on the fake ticket scam over which a legal inquiry is ongoing. The singer apologised to any fan who fell prey to the fake ticket scam but maintained that he and his team were not responsible for it.

“If anyone has been affected by a ticket scam, I apologise. We are not responsible for this. Authorities are looking into the matter,” he told the crowd in the Pink City. Diljit also urged the fans to be more cautious and buy tickets only from the authorised seller.

Over two dozen FIRs filed for mobile phone theft in Jaipur

Following Diljit's Jaipur concert on November 3, several attendees lodged complaints of missing mobile phones. The Jaipur Police Commissioner confirmed to media publications that a particular gang turned the concert venue their preying ground and stole cellular devices. As per reports, over 32 FIRs have been lodged regarding this matter.

Songs banned at Diljit's Hyderabad concert

The Telangana government served a notice to Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh, directing him not to sing any song promoting alcohol, drugs and violence during Dil-Luminati concert, scheduled in the city on November 15. Diljit has also been directed to not bring children on stage during his concert. The notice issued to the Lover singer will also change the singer's performance plans as a number of his songs that are part of Dil-Luminati setlist violate the imposed rules.

The Kinni Kinni singer took out time to pray at a Gurdwara in the city of Nizams on the occasion of Gurpurab. Diljit took to Instagram and posted some pictures where he was seen praying in the gurdwara and having kada prasad. However, the caption to his post, which read, "Tonight Hyderabad 🪷 आंधी रोके तो हम तूफान ... तूफान रोके तो हम आग का दरिया (sic)," drew people's attention. Many perceived it as a cryptic reply to the imposed ban on his songs in Hyderabad.