Sir Elton John on stage

Singing in the rain! Sir Elton John wows the crowd at Magic Summer Live

By Chris Lennon, News editor Monday, July 18, 2011
10:25 AM

THOUSANDS of people braved atrocious weather yesterday (Sunday) as Sir Elton John headlined a concert in the grounds of Hatfield House.

A sea of umbrellas at Hatfield House

The music legend played a two-hour set as part of the first Magic Summer Live.

Rain coats and umbrellas were the order of the day as a crowd of 20,000 were earlier entertained by Wonderland, The Overtones, The Pierces, Rumer and The Lighthouse Family.

There was also a West End stage featuring snippets from productions including Jersey Boys, We Will Rock You and Mamma Mia!

But the weather was not the only problem at the event, hosted by radio station Magic FM. Complaints received by the Welwyn Hatfield Times included problems getting into the car parks on site, long queues for food stations and poor sound quality.

* Did you go to Magic Summer Live? What did you think of the perfomances, and the organisation? Comment below, email news@whtimes.co.uk or tweet us @whtimes

Latest News See all

25 comments

GODBER - try and use some punctuation you 'tard. You all got ripped off, deservedly so!

Report this comment

tommo

Thursday, July 21, 2011
The biggest con ever I think! What was the point in spending £214 on two VIP tickets when we could not see Elton John or his band at all! Could only see the Lighthouse Family when they stepped forward, missed Rumer, The Overtones, The Pierces, Wonderland, Million Dollar Quartet, Jersey Boys, Wicked and We Will Rock you thanks to the diabolic parking system! Only 1 "Gourmet Burger" stand and 1 sushi stand for 2000-2500 VIP ticket holders in the VIP west stand and only 12 food stands in the main area who at a very hard push could realistically only serve 8600 people in 8 hours when you were strictly forbidden from bringing in your food! Got told no VIP spaces left, hearing this from people who arrived 2 hours before we did as well! No free programme as promised. TOTAL RIP OFF! People who had been too 200+ similar events said they had never seen anything like it! Disabled people expected to make there way across uneven and unlit grassland while parking attendants just stood by! Only one free drinking water point for 25,000 people! All exits for the VIP area's sealed off! Like someone else said if there had been an incident I hate to imagine what sort of disaster would have evolved! Or if it had been a hot day!

Report this comment

kkkooo

Thursday, July 21, 2011
I tried hard to read that, and believe you made some good points but please buy a new keyboard where you can turn off the caps lock and use some punctuation. I had to read it without pausing for breath and I'm now all blue in the face!! To be fair, I saw a lot of people in the VIP seating leave early (no doubt to try and get out of the car park) but most people did stay until the end and the inevitable encore.

Report this comment

jonmorris

Wednesday, July 20, 2011
PAID 350 POUNDS FOR FIVE OF US AND CARCAME FROM POTTERS BAR AND JOINED QUE AT WELHAM GREEN ROUNDABOUT BLOCKING UP COMING TRAFFIC NO POLICE OR ANYBODY THEREINSIDE GATE 3 PEOPLE IN HIGH VIS JACKETS ONE POINTING IN THE OBVIOUS DIRECTION OF THE QUE1HOUR AND 50 MINS BEFORE WE GOT TO A PARKING SPACE AGAIN NO ONE TO TELL US WHERE TO PARKNEXT SHAMBLES WAS GETTING IN NO DIRECTIONS REFUSED AT ONE GATE AND PUSHED THROUGH LIKE HERDED CATTLE AT ANOTHER.LETS JUST SUMMERISE THE REST QUES FOR TOILETSQUES FOR FOOD SEEN MORE FOOD OUTLETS AT A GARDEN SHOW NONE SELLING JUST COFFE ONLY WHAT THE HELL WERE THE ORGANISERS THINKING OFFCRAMPED CONDITIONS BREAKING ALL HEATH AND SAFETY RULRES I HOPE WELWYN AND HATFIELD LICENSING AND HAETH AND SAFETY REVUE ANY FUTURE LICENSE APP FROM HATFIELD HOUSE FOR ANY FUTURE EVENT AND HERTS POLICE FOR ROAD TRAFFIC PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT2 STAGES WHY WHY THEY COULDNT GET THE SOUND RIGHT ON THE FIRST STAGE AS IT WAS USELESS YOU COULD NOT HERE WHO WAS SPEAKING IN THE MIKEWHEN I WENT OVER TO SECURITY STAFF THATS A JOKE 3 STANDING TALKING TO COMPLAIN I WAS TOLD TO WRITE IN IT WAS NOT THEIR PROBLEM.ELTON JOHN LANDEED IN HELICOPTER PLAYED 1ST SONG OK THEN WENT INTO A BORING SELF ENDULGENT QUEST TO SATISFY HIS OWN TASTE BEFORE MAYBE SOMEONE POINTING OUT THAT LARGE VOLUMES OF PEOPLE WERE LEAVING A HALF HEARTED PERFORMANCE FROM SOMEONE I HAVE SUPPORTED IN MUSIC TASTE FOR MOST OF HIS CAREER FINALLY HOW MAGIC THAT I LISTEN TO EVERY DAY CAN SAY ON MONDAY IT WAS FANTASTIC THEY MUST BE DREAMING IT WAS A SHAMBLES THEY AND THE SO CALLED PROFFESIONAL COULDNT ORGANIS A 8888 UP IN ABREWERY.SOMEONE MAYBE CAN ALSO TELL ME WHY I HAVE SINCE HEARD PEOPLE PAID HALF OF WHAT WE DID FOR OUR TICKETS.MAGICELTON JOHNLORD SALSBURY SHOUDL BE ASHAMED OF THE COMPLETE MESS THAT WAS MADE OF THE WHOLE DAYSOME OF US HAVE TO WORK HARD FOR OUR MONEY.

Report this comment

GODBER

Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Utter Shambles. Booked 3 VIP tickets for my self, my mum, who is sixty & my daughter who is six months pregnant. We arrived at 4.30pm to find out that the VIP parking was full. The guy directing the cars told us that the organisation of the parking was 'crap' & that the VIP parking hadn't worked. We had tickets in the east stand, there was no 'fast track VIP entrance' for this stand so we had to wade through the chairs & picnic blankets to get to the stand. Although it stated on thr website that there was exclusive pay bar, food courts & toilets, there was one pizza place & only one place you could get a hot drink which we queued for 40 minutes. It also states on the website that no food & drink would be allowed into the venue but this was not the case. There was lots of people that bought there own food & drink in! Or is the reason they said this is so people had to pay £4.50 for a small bottle of lager or a small glass of Pimms? Extortionate prices! We were so fed up that we left at 8.30pm & asked to go out of the exit right behind our stands due to my daughter being six months pregnant, I didnt want her to have to walk through the crowds of people to get out. I was told NO, she would be OK walking through & just at that moment a drunk man stumbled into her. We still were not allowed out of that exit although the security had just let a man & his son out of the exit. So in summary - Fast Track VIP Entrance - NO. VIP Parking - NO. Complimentary Programme - NO. The only difference between the two ticket types was that we got a plastic seat in the stand to sit on. There was nothing VIP about the experience & I consider it a complete rip off

Report this comment

rhonda

Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Just noticed the bits on Keech, the info staff were so amazing. It makes sense it was obviously Keech not Magic

Report this comment

Sarah

Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Shame to see so many negative comments. We had VIP tickets and thought the enclosure was well run, top toilets and well run. OK the stands were a little too far back but at least you could go walkabout if you wanted to. All of the acts were very good, the sound was OK considering the winds that were gusting. It was no worse getting in and out of the park on Sunday than it was getting out og Wembley Stadium for Take That. Fair play to HH for giving this a go I say!!! Well done all!

Report this comment

elvispriceley

Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Just noticed the bits on Keech, the info staff were so amazing. It makes sense it was obviously Keech not Magic

Report this comment

Sarah

Tuesday, July 19, 2011
An awful day, Magic FM should be ashamed

Report this comment

Sarah

Tuesday, July 19, 2011
OMG! I thought they were Magic staff!!!!! I spoke to a lady there with blonde curly hair and she was so kind. I cant believe Keech did this, that is so kind of them. I hope they got a decent donation for their work. Does anyone know if they did?

Report this comment

Sarah

Tuesday, July 19, 2011
OMG! I thought they were Magic staff!!!!! I spoke to a lady there with blonde curly hair and she was so kind. I cant believe Keech did this, that is so kind of them. I hope they got a decent donation for their work. Does anyone know if they did?

Report this comment

Sarah

Tuesday, July 19, 2011
I noticed that re programmes, how were Keech able to sell for a donation when the official sales agents wanted £6?

Report this comment

John364

Tuesday, July 19, 2011
The staff from Keech were just great, there were even selling programmes for just " a donation" whereas the programme sellors wanted £6. We bought 4 from them and saved about £20!!

Report this comment

Les

Tuesday, July 19, 2011
John, the staff from Keech were angels - I could not agree more. The concert was a complete fiasco. People were lost and annoyed and there was no information desk or help. On the programme it showed Keech's location as the information point and even Neil Fox announced on stage to go to the information point - "the green marquee" for information!!! Keech staff just took it on the chin and helped the many upset people. I spent a lot of time talking with Lee & Martin and they were good natured at all times, Keech should be very proud that they have some wonderful staff and I hope MagicHH give them a decent donation as they worked harder than any member of staff there.

Report this comment

Blonde Girl

Monday, July 18, 2011
John, the staff from Keech were angels - I could not agree more. The concert was a complete fiasco. With no ATM as advertised, meaning no food for people who had relied on it. People were drunk, lost and annoyed and there was no information desk and no one there to help. On the programme it showed Keech's location as the information point and even Neil Fox announced on stage to go to the information point - "the green marquee" for information!!! Keech staff just took it on the chin and helped the many upset people. I spent a lot of time talking with Lee & Martin and they were good natured at all times, Keech should be very proud that they have some wonderful staff

Report this comment

Blonde Girl

Monday, July 18, 2011
I have to say the event was a complete disaster but praise must be given to Keech Children's Hospice. They were there to promote their charity but ended up as the information point (Magic put an information sign above their tent!). The 4 staff members ended up helping so many people and did so all day long, there was one man (Lee - I picked up his business card) that took my cold,wet children into the back of the tent with myself, lent them a couple of spare jackets to get warm and gave them sweets. We sat with them for about 15 minutes and we watched these staff work tirelessly helping distraught, wet, drunk and upset members of the public. They were were a credit to the charity and I will strongly bear them in mind in the future for fundraising

Report this comment

John364

Monday, July 18, 2011
An excellent day was had by all friends that I attended with. There was no waiting between acts as there were two stages, we danced from afternoon until evening. After seeing the weather forecast we all took our pacamacs and umbrellas so were well equipped. The concert planners should make more use for concerts at Hatfield House. Yes there were a few hiccups but you expect these at such huge events. Elton was amazinf as were the Lighthouse family.

Report this comment

Jacqui

Monday, July 18, 2011
What a fiasco. Yes the weather didn't help, but the two £105.00 "VIP" tickets I bought, expecting to have a better view than the general tickets were a joke. Two rows of seats set adjacent to the stage at right angles and what must have been 200ft away, meant you had to sit twisting your neck watching a video screen; the position of the stage to the seats meant the sound was pathetic. The difference between a clock radio and mid-range stereo... The sound was actually better in the general enclosure. How I feel for the people who paid a huge premium for these tickets on ebay... wasting £210 is bad enough but some had paid double that! The queues to all food sellers were horrendous... the toilets were the same. We arrived half way through the Lighthouse Family; and left after the 3rd Elton John song... What absolute rubbish. People were complaining on site and being "upgraded" to "gold section" as a gesture of goodwill. The only way we would have stayed would have been if they had moved the stands and up rated the PA system!... Never again; I'd be surprised if Magic FM even hold a 2nd event after this load of rubbish, certainly anyone who attended this would be unlikely to give it a second chance.

Report this comment

jjw23

Monday, July 18, 2011
I agree with all the points made so far. The organisation was a shambles. I bought VIP tickets and they were pointless. The seats were so far away from the stage we moved down to the standing area. Unfortunately people had been drinking so much during the day that they behaved appallingly when Elton came on stage and ruined his set for a lot of people around us. We left early and some of the exits were closed. If there had been an incident and people had to get out quickly there would have been a disaster.

Report this comment

TBones

Monday, July 18, 2011
Sadly it seems that nobody can ever learn the lessons from previous events - like dealing with large crowds before, during and after an event, so this will always be a problem at Hatfield House. How crazy to think that, if planned well enough, and given the location of the railway station (with extra trains put on) you could expect to put on events for tens of thousands of people that would be better than many other locations. Take a look at Knebworth or the Milton Keynes Bowl as examples of how you can get things right, and then improve on them.

Report this comment

jonmorris

Monday, July 18, 2011
Exactly the same story as with the fireworks and other events at HP then....Not enough toilets and food facilities.

Report this comment

tommo

Monday, July 18, 2011
The thing is, people DID get food in. I saw huge coolboxes with food and drink brought in - and that couldn't have been 'sneaked' by the staff at the gates! When the fish ran out at the fish & chip stand, it was down to the lorry with more food not being able to get in - so there were probably loads of additional logistical problems we didn't see. But, at least all the acts were on time and a great performance put on by all concerned. Glad I didn't pay for a rather pointless VIP tickets though!

Report this comment

jonmorris

Monday, July 18, 2011
The concert was great, having two stages alternating was a good idea and kept the music flowing. On the downside was the provision of food, the queues were huge for each vendor. Some people were waiting for 45 mins to be served. For a nine hour event, to be told you were not allowed to bring any food or drink seems a bit miserable and made the whole eveny pretty expensive. However, Elton was on top form so no real complaints.

Report this comment

Simon

Monday, July 18, 2011
It was a great day (despite the weather), but the poor provision of toilets, food outlets, lights for the walk back to the station (muddy hilly sections in complete darkness) and a lack of trained staff to deal with the crowds (as well as First Capital Connect not laying on extra trains or even extending the lengths of the ones they were running) meant it makes me question the ability of Hatfield House to put on large events. I counted perhaps four police officers, outside the grounds, who looked way out of their depth for 20,000+ people leaving.

Report this comment

jonmorris

Monday, July 18, 2011
If i had to go and watch this rubbish getting rained on would be the least of my concerns.

Report this comment

tommo

Monday, July 18, 2011