ZHU Fans Express Frustration Following Pop-Up Show at San Francisco Cathedral

In his typical, innovative fashion, international dance music sensation ZHU hosted a last-minute show at Grace Cathedral that didn’t go as planned, according to some fans.

Earlier this week, ZHU announced a pop-up show in San Francisco which quickly created a buzz among fans. The artist wouldn’t be selling tickets for the event, but instead allowing a handful of fans to RSVP online in order to gain entry. Allegedly, 2,500 RSVPs were sent out via Eventbrite, yet the venue only holds a capacity of 500.

The event was teased via the artist’s Instagram Stories. ZHU said, “About the album … I can’t decide … Is it risky enough? … F*** it … Finishing it in a cathedral recording live … Crazy or genius.” Subscribed fans then received a text message with a link to the invite and instructions to RSVP. Hopeful attendees received instructions to wear all black (with no logos) as the performance and crowd would be filmed. They were also encouraged to bring canned food for donation.

Unfortunately, it seems many fans weren’t able to even get into the event due to limited space inside Grace Cathedral, in addition to issues with security. One fan commented on IG, “Gave out 2000+ tickets but only let 500 in? Feels like you’re compensating for something.” Another said, “200+ people cut the line and security/staff did NOTHING to prevent it. Then after 20 min of the show, people left and I heard them say “I’m not even a fan, that sucked!” On top of all that, not all wristbands were given out, the “guest list” person was still holding a handful of wristbands and refused to give more out, and shut the door on us. Ridiculous. Don’t give out 2500 RSVPs for only 500 capacity.”

Another fan commented with a more detailed account of the issue, “Really disappointed and upset at the organization of this event. Many of us got there between 5/530 waited in line for hours in the cold and windy SF weather only to have so many people cut in front of us that we weren’t let in. People even flew in from out of state and came extra extra early and weren’t able to get in as well. There were no barriers, or rails to keep it orderly, so the line grew out of control into a mob basically, the security wasn’t able to do anything. If you sell 2500 tickets and only let in 500 (or rumors it was even less) then you need to control the crowd. Zhu is from SF so they should have known the crowds would turn out in his home town to support him and needed better crowd management. Beyond disappointing.”

ZHU’s Instagram comments are flooded with similar comments concerning issues with accessing the event. As of the time this article was published, ZHU has yet to comment on the problems surrounding the event. At the same time, many fans are celebrating the artist’s new artistic endeavor. 

The lead single from ZHU’s forthcoming album, “Revelations,” is out now. Listen below:

Ashley

I’ve been a part of the dance music scene for nearly a decade and with Exron for more than half of that time. My first event was Diplo’s Mad Decent but these days you’ll find me at Club Space or the Brooklyn Mirage. Some of my top artists are G Jones, Tipper, Of The Trees, and CharlestheFirst. My favorite genres are techno, experimental bass, and ambient but I’ll get down to anything with a beat!

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