The Times of Malta is filled with reports about Elton's upcoming concert at the Floriana on July 6, 2003 these days. Hercules feels that Elton's wish for a historic backdrop sometimes goes a step too far.

There were major traffic jams coming into Valletta on June 19, 2003, after Sarria Street in Floriana and the road leading to it past the Floriana council office were closed.

And the situation is not temporary: Sarria Street will be closed to traffic until July 11, 2003 in view of the Elton John concert being held at the granaries on July 6, 2003, the Malta Transport Authority said.

The road had to be closed because the spectator stands for the concert cannot be erected on the granaries, to ensure that these are not damaged in any way. Instead, they are being put up on the road itself.

Elton John will have to work extra hard to compensate for the ill will motorists will have built up by the concert day.

One of the directors of concert organisers NNG Promotions, Nigel Camilleri, said he had been assured by the contractors that it would take at least two weeks to erect the stands, although he hoped that they could be removed quicker than planned after the concert.

The hi-tech stage is being assembled on the road between the granaries and Middle Sea Insurance.

"Elton John's representatives want to ensure that works are ready in advance in case any changes are needed," he said.

When asked whether closing a busy road for two weeks was justified, he said they had done their utmost to cut the time to a minimum, but added that works would only be ready just before the concert.

"The original request was for the road to be closed for six weeks," he said.

A disgruntled commuter was unimpressed: "We did not have this disruption for the Pope, let alone for a commercial concert," he complained.

The MTA explained when contacted that the Traffic Management Directorate had met the organisers and informed the police, the council and other relevant authorities that approval had been given for the road to be closed.

Everything had been done in accordance with procedure, except for publishing a legal notice in the Government Gazette, as a result of an oversight, spokesman Daniela Borg Mizzi said.

She appealed to commuters to use Sa Maison and St Anne Street, or to use public transport.

"We know that there was a bad congestion problem, but at this point in time there is not much we can do. In the circumstances, we couldn't impose a shorter time for the closure.

"It was made clear to us that, in accordance with the conditions imposed by Elton John's security people, unless the road was closed, the concert would not be held," she said.

Floriana council was, however, totally unimpressed when it realised how long the road would be closed.

Kenneth Brincat, executive secretary, said the council had approved the use of the granaries, with the usual conditions, ensuring that they were not damaged and were left clean.

However, it objected when it found out that MTA had agreed to close some streets and to close off the parking zone at the end of the granaries.

"We wrote to NNG Promotions, organisers of the concert, and they said they would be assembling scaffolding on pavement but that the works would only extend onto the road a few days before.

"However, the road was closed today (June 19, 2003). We have now written to them again and the mayor is in touch with the district police."

Mr Brincat explained that as the road in front of the council was also closed, it affected access to the home for the elderly, the council and all the residents and users of that area. He was also concerned about the congestion caused.

"The problem is that all the traffic - including route buses - is now being routed via St Anne Street and there are already massive traffic jams, which backed up to Qormi yesterday morning.

"I doubt that it will get any better until Sarria Street is reopened, although if Pjazza E.S. Tonna - in front of the council - is reopened, as appears to be planned, it might get better."

The MTA said that no parking will be permitted along Sarria Street and along the road in front of the Floriana church and in St Publius Street.

St Publius Street will be closed to traffic between June 23 and July 16, 2003. No parking will be allowed in the granaries car park between June 30 and July 7, 2003.

While it is always nice to see Elton perform solo against a historic backdrop, Hercules feels that sometimes local organizers go a step too far in keeping up with the wishes of Elton and his management. It is not helping Elton's image when pleasing an audience of say 10,000 people causes irritation of a whole city. Letters to the editor that can be found in the Times of Malta these days prove this point impressively.

Furthermore, fans attending these kind of shows pay through the nose as tickets are a lot more expensive due to the fact that the venue does not exists, but has to be set up from scratch. While a show at any of the usual concert halls or even open air arenas is simple to organize, these kind of historic venues have to be specially prepared for the often one-time (one-day) event.

And finally, if Elton continues to perform in front of each and every historic landmark in this world, it is no longer special anymore. It's nice to see him perform in front of old castles etc., but Elton should watch closely that added value and additional costs are in appropriate proportion.

How do you feel about this? Let us know in the Opinion Poll on the Hercules Message Board.

Back to Headlines