George Benson: When concert goers pay to see a singer who doesn't sing

What should you do if you've paid to see a singer who isn't able to sing? Boo? Heckle? Or sit back and enjoy the instrumentals?

That was the dilemma hundreds of concert goers faced on Wednesday night, after musician George Benson went ahead with his gig at the Royal Albert Hall despite losing his voice.

Fans were treated to instrumental versions of his and other artists' songs, but this approach clearly divided opinion.

Hundreds left early, and boos, whistles and shouting matches in the audience dampened what should have been an electric night.

  • A fan explains what happened

Steve Anderson told ITV News he was "mildly amused" by the tit-for-tat in the audience, but said he understood that many felt "they were being used".

"He came on stage slightly late, and opened up with a famous track called Breezin', an instrumental. He then followed this with another instrumental, and another instrumental, and then he changed his microphone and his voice was clearly in terrible shape."

Jazz musician George Benson is famed for his guitar skills as well as his singing Credit: PA

It was after another instrumental and an admission to the crowd that his voice was "really bad" that people started to get "restless" Mr Anderson said.

"Someone in the crowd shouted 'boring'. People were shouting at the people who were shouting at him."

After one person got up to leave, many followed suit.

"More people stayed, but a lot of people did leave, hundreds were leaving," said Steve Anderson.

"People had come from all over the country, booked hotels in London, gotten dressed up for a special occasion", he said.

The bad feeling could have been avoided "if he'd been clear with people from the start" he added, "but what happened is they stayed with instrumentals then tried to sing, and it was a disaster."

  • The backlash

Steve Anderson believes if you buy a ticket for George Benson "the reasonable assumption is he is going to sing, not just turn up and play guitar, that's what everyone was there for."

People were "walking out in disgust" because "this was a big night, a night to remember for them," he added.

And as well as heckling and walking out at the concert, some took to social media to vent their frustration.

  • The backlash against the backlash

Many users however hit back at critics and wished George Benson a speedy recovery.

One said "It was a dream come true to watch him play guitar for an hour. Get well soon!", with another branding the hecklers "morons".

The Royal Albert Hall apologised on Twitter, telling ticket holders they will be contacted.