Man denied entry into Melbourne gig due to being in a wheelchair

A Melbourne man claims he was denied entry into a live music venue to see one of his favourite bands for an unbelievable reason.

A passionate heavy metal fan claims he was turned away from seeing one of his favourite bands because he uses a wheelchair.

Melbourne music lover Dylan Taylor had travelled for over an hour with his friends to the Pier Bandroom in Frankston to see popular Sydney band Polaris on July 28.

The 32-year-old was excited for a fun night but instead was left humiliated after he claims he was refused entry to the venue due to being in a wheelchair.

He said there was absolutely nothing on his concert ticket nor on the Pier Bandroom’s website or social media accounts that stipulated wheelchair users would not be allowed in.

The Pier Bandroom turned Mr Taylor away due to him being in a wheelchair. Picture: Supplied

“I got to the front of the line, and they were checking IDs like normal, and one of the bouncers wouldn’t even acknowledge that I was there,” Mr Taylor told 7News.

“I was holding up my licence, and he wouldn’t look at it or take it, and they had taken everyone else’s licence.

“I hadn’t really figured it out at this point, but then the other bouncer said ‘Nup, sorry mate, no wheelchairs’”.

Mr Taylor says he felt this was “blatant discrimination” due to his disability.

His group pleaded with the security guards to have a manager come out to speak with them and see if there was a solution that would allow them all into the venue.

Mr Taylor said his group was told it would be a “fire safety risk” to let a person who uses a wheelchair into the venue.

They added that he would “not be carried out by bouncers during a fire” despite them doing so for an injured person in the same scenario.

Dylan saw the band in San Diego and had a very different experience. Picture: Supplied

“I’m spewin’ because, at this point, I haven’t even paid my friends back for the ticket, and I’ve ruined their night out,” he said.

His friends tried to negotiate further, stating that they had seen a wheelchair user in the venue just two weeks earlier, causing them to believe accessibility would not have been an issue.

However, they claim they were told that person was able to walk some distance and did not need their wheelchair all the time.

A spokesperson for the owner of Pier Bandroom, Endeavour Group, said the venue was sorry for the distress caused.

They stated that the Pier Hotel was built in the 1800s and the Bandroom venue is “only accessible by stairs, and is not wheelchair accessible”.

“We apologise to any ticket holders who were not given adequate information about our venue’s policies at the time of purchasing tickets to recent concerts.”

Sydney metalcore band Polaris are one of his favourite bands. Picture: Chris Jack

They added that the venue’s website will be updated to make these rules clear. 7News reported that the concert tickets were later refunded.

Mr Taylor had seen Polaris perform before when he was living in San Diego, California, and even got to fist-bump the band while crowd-surfing in his wheelchair.

It was in California where, 18 months ago, he sustained a permanent spinal injury while riding his BMX bike.

He added that the incident was “the first time I’ve faced, I would say, pretty blatant discrimination”.

“You feel pretty empty inside, and I did have a little cry in the car on the way home.”

He said the past 18 months has been a very eye opening experience. Picture: iStock

A new National Arts and Disability Associated Plan, which is getting $7.9 million in funding from the federal government, will help support people with a disability to access and take part in the arts.

News.com.au has contacted Pier Bandroom and Polaris for comment.

Festival photo sparks outrage

Sadly, this is not the first time people in wheelchairs have faced issues when seeing live music.

Earlier this year, a picture from the Pandemonium Rocks music festival sparked outrage after promoters promised an “accessible viewing area” for those in wheelchairs – however many were outraged by what they saw, with many stating the area looked more like a “cage” for patrons with a disability.

In photos posted to Facebook, it is evident the specialised area was simply a fenced off patch of grass a fair distance from the stage. There was no raised viewing platform or way for ticketholders in that area to see above the crowd in front.

Many shared their disbelief over the situation, with some likening the area to a “segregated cage” or “disabled playpen”.

People in wheelchairs struggled to see the stage. Picture: Joel King / Facebook

“So … they’ve rounded up the disabled people and put them in a ground level pen so far away from everything that they can’t see the bands,” one commented.

“But at least they are not a hindrance to able-bodied festival goers right? There are always people in wheelchairs at the festivals I go to.

“Most times they are picked up to crowd surf near the front. It boggles the mind that segregation is still a thing here.”

“This is infuriating to see that they made a pen to segregate disabled people with disabilities after advertising a raised viewing platform,” another said.

The 'accessible viewing area' was simply a fenced-off bit of grass. Picture: Joel King / Facebook

“They only changed it this week. They were supposed to have a raised platform in order to see and they were meant to have their own toilets, but this changed too.”

“Absolutely disgusting treatment,” one stated.

“There’s a lot that goes into already proving that you’re disabled to get accessibility, then to be round up in a pig pen with obstructed views.”

It is understood this type of area would make it very difficult for people who use a wheelchair to see the stage, especially being so far back.

Furthermore, with ticketholders in this area being situated on the bare grass, without any other flooring, it could potentially make it hard for those with mobility issues to manoeuvre around.