Bruce Springsteen, known as "the Boss" in the music world, was silenced at his Hyde Park concert as it ran on for too long! Organisers made the decision to turn off the microphones as Springsteen had over-run the 10.30pm curfew.
To make things worse, the Boss was in the middle of a duet with a pop Royal, Sir Paul McCartney. The decision to turn off the microphones therefore left tens of thousands of fans disappointed and angry.
However, in the aftermath of the event, a spokesman for Live Nation, the organisers, claimed that the concert was stopped because of health and safety reasons; a claim that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have been quick to dismiss.
The Deputy Chief Executive of the HSE Kevin Myers, who was in attendance at the concert, was disappointed that Health and Safety had once again been used as a scapegoat. In a statement on the HSE website, he said,"As a longstanding Bruce Springsteen fan and one of the crowd at Hard Rock Calling, I was doubly disappointed to hear Live Nation give 'health and safety' as the reason for cutting short Saturday's gig.
The fans deserve the truth: there are no health and safety issues involved here. While public events may have licensing conditions dictating when they should end, this is not health and safety and it is disingenuous of Live Nation to say so."
So, if the boss runs on for too long, don't be tempted to pull the plug on the microphones, at least not in the name of health and safety.
