The Isle of MTV Malta special was definitely a success. Many of those who attended the event relayed their experience on Facebook yesterday or hummed to the tunes of Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas, which echoed in their heads all day yesterday.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere backstage was quite calm, said make-up artist Jessica Mamo. Boy band Metro Station had their make-up done by Ms Mamo. “They were good models,” she commented.
All the performers mingled with the crew except for the Black Eyed Peas who stayed in their changing rooms during the performances.
The only downside people commented on was the public transport. Although people were urged to use public transport it did not operate a shuttle service. People were left waiting for hours on bus stops to get a bus to Floriana and to return from the terminus when the concert ended.
One particular person had to wait from 5.45pm until 8.30pm to board a bus from San Gwann, and she was a regular public transport user who was not planning to attend the concert. On the other hand, the idea to free up bus lanes was good as buses were making it to Valletta in a relatively short time.
When the concert ended, people flocked towards the terminus to get the first bus home. Some people waited for three hours until they managed to board.
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In the meantime Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Mario de Marco told this newspaper, “Yesterday’s Isle of MTV concert was spectacular, and the crowd superb. It is hard to exceed the degree of success of previous years, but yesterday’s concert succeeded in doing so. The 50,000-strong crowd simply did not want the night to end and the vibe amongst the people attending in reaction to the great performers on stage was incredible.”
He continued: “The collaboration with MTV is certainly proving fruitful and I have no doubt that Malta’s association with the ‘Isle of MTV’ is helping to enhance our reputation as a tourist destination also for the young and young at heart. The presence of so many foreigners at the concert was clearly visible, and we have had a positive feedback of people having flown in purposely to make a holiday around this event.”
Dr de Marco said: “The airing of the concert in September on all European networks of MTV will also create further exposure for the Maltese Islands. We are also very pleased with the way the whole organisation worked out, thanks to the efforts of a number of people especially the MTA staff, police, Civil Protection and public transport operators. To all these go our heartfelt thanks for a successful event. Finally, I thank all those who attended for making this annual concert a remarkable occasion in our calendar of events, and it will help us further in our efforts to promote our islands.”
Malta Tourism Authority CEO, Josef Formosa Gauci said, “I cannot but express satisfaction at the smooth way in which everything proceeded last night. All the departments and entities concerned deserve special thanks for the highly efficient way in which all logistical aspects were handled, from traffic control to health and safety to cleansing and everything in between. I am also satisfied at the impressive turnout on the Fosos, which included a significant number of tourists, once again confirming that the Isle of MTV is the single event with the largest audience held in the Maltese islands. The show itself was spectacular and, possibly, one of the best line-ups we’ve had to date. Moreover, the Isle of MTV Malta Special has already generated substantial coverage and exposure for Malta in the foreign media, lending more weight to our efforts in promoting Malta as a ‘happening’ destination of choice.”