Fans hit out at Michael Bublé New Milton concert after it turned from 'picnic' at Chewton Glen to 'full-on festival'

FURIOUS Michael Bublé fans have hit out at organisers of a concert in New Milton which they said was sold as being in the grounds of a luxury hotel but ended up as a “festival in a field”.

Dozens of people complained after discovering the venue was not in the formal gardens of the five-star Chewton Glen but was instead on grassland next door to Fawcett’s Field recreation ground.

Fans were also banned from taking in picnic chairs which they claim were originally allowed and told instead to bring a blanket to sit on the ground for the Monday night concert.

On social media the promoters, Senbla Live Events, were branded “disgraceful”, with some elderly and disabled people saying they were unable to attend as they could not sit or stand for hours.

People also bombarded the Chewton Glen with complaints on their Facebook page.

One said: “This is appalling. No information regarding the change from a small picnic event to a bloody festival. Really not impressed, we have waited two years to be treated like cattle. You have severely let us all down.”

Some who attended said Bublé’s performance was “absolutely fantastic” but others reported elderly and disabled people with walking aids struggling to walk across the field from paid-for parking.

There was also trouble after the concert when spectators ended up having to queue for over two hours to get out of the parking areas.

It is the second time Senbla Live Events have encountered troubles on the Bublé tour. After he appeared at Waddesdon Manor a petition signed by nearly 2,000 demanded the company refund fans who missed his concert after car parking problems led to three-hour queues.

The New Milton concert was part of the singer’s An Evening With tour where it was stated he would be “performing in the most picturesque and beautiful outdoor settings across the UK”.

A spokesperson for the Chewton Glen claimed the vast majority of the audience had a “truly fabulous evening enjoying a wonderful performance nestled amongst a woodland setting on the Chewton Glen estate”.

They said the location of the concert arena and its format had remained “unchanged” from when tickets first went on sale.

But fan Nick Reeves said: “You can hardly call a field ‘picturesque’. When we bought our tickets it stated capacity 140 but then it turned into a full-on festival with the estimated number of people attending being over 12,000.”

He was so angry he did not go to the concert and has managed to get a refund from ticket company AXS after he complained to them that the concert tickets had been “missold”.

Another disappointed fan was Martine Head. She said “I bought the tickets two years ago for me and my mum whose lifelong dream was to see Michael Bublé, and it was advertised as a limited, quiet, picnic event.

“At the time Chewton Glen were selling two picnic hampers for the concert.

“To then discover it was in a field with thousands attending and be expected to sit or stand for hours was just so disappointing.”

Senbla Live Events has denied misselling the concert.

Posting on social media it said: “This was never sold as a limited ticket or quiet evening concert. It is within the grounds at Chewton Glen.”

The company told the A&T that it was now investigating the traffic problems after the concert, saying: “Whilst the vast majority of customers got out in an acceptable time frame, we know that there were some who moved slower than anticipated.”

It added: “We wish to thank the Chewton Glen for providing such a fantastic site to work at and we hope all that all who attended had a fantastic time.”