Rahman even showed his comic side when he made a thinly veiled barb at pop
music phenomenon Himesh Reshammiya. Telling the audience that he'd been
working and traveling a lot lately and had caught a cold, Rahman said he
told his doctor that he was concerned that he couldn't perform with such a
nasal voice.
"The doctor said not to worry - that's the 'in' thing," said Rahman.
:-)
----- Original Message ----
From: Anil Nair <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, June 8, 2007 4:08:23 AM
Subject: [arr] Oakland concert : Fan Frenzy Greets A.R. Rahman at Bay Area
Show
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------------ -
By LISA TSERING
India-West Staff Reporter
OAKLAND, Calif. - Halfway through a lively show at the Oracle Arena
June 2, A.R. Rahman put on the brakes, and took a moment to ask the
audience to pause in their revelry.
"You are all in high spirits right now," the composer said
softly. "But think about those who are in hunger, or living in
poverty." Seated at a grand piano, he started to play the
gentle "Pray for Me Brother," inspiring thousands of fans to wave
their lighted cell phones in the dark, swaying to the music.
It was just one of many memorable moments during a three-hour concert
that saw the sold-out crowd leap to their feet for his greatest hits
from "Dil Se," "Taal," "Roja" and "Bombay," and newer, but just as
distinctive, songs from "Rang De Basanti," "Water" and "Guru."
The show wasn't all Bollywood - when Rahman performed "Vaaji vaaji en
jeevan si sivaji" and "Athiradee" from "Sivaji," the hotly
anticipated Rajnikanth starrer due out June 15, his South Indian fans
erupted in hysteria, gyrating in the aisles and screaming, "Sivaji!
Sivaji!" A performance of the film's "Sahaana saaral" by Chitra and a
young male singer got an equally enthusiastic response.
From the beginning of the concert, when the maestro appeared on a
high riser at the back of the stage greeted by a fireworks display,
to the ending strains of "Vande Mataram," his signature closing
piece, A.R. Rahman led an unforced program that veered between the
extremes of his prolific catalog, from haunting ballads to infectious
rockers. Some of his musicians told India-West backstage that the
song list hadn't been put together until the last minute, which lent
an air of spontaneity to the show.
Rahman is an unlikely megastar. Softspoken, humble and completely
dedicated to his music, he spent most of his time onstage behind a
large bank of keyboards, out of the spotlight, as his longtime
musical director, K. Srinivas Murthy, led a group of Indian and
Western musicians and percussionists.
The composer has always been willing to cede attention to his guest
stars, who included ace guitarist Rashid Ali and University of South
Florida music student Patrick Hernly, a gifted young percussionist
who blew the crowd away with a virtuoso centerstage display of tabla
bol.
Vocalists Sukhwinder Singh, Hariharan, Chitra, Madhushree, Sadhana
Sargam, Blaaze, Naresh Iyer and other talented voices, along with
scene-stealing drummer Sivamani, got some of the best response with
songs from "Guru," including sizzling versions of "Tere bina"
and "Barso re."
But one of the major discoveries of the evening was Neeti Mohan, an
extraordinary young vocalist who added sparkle to a version
of "Guru's" "Mayya mayya" when she appeared onstage wrapped in a
huge, voluminous, bright red length of silk. As she slowly turned,
dancers unwrapped her to reveal a saucy belly-dancing costume, and
Mohan, accompanied by two more belly dancers, writhed to the item
number's Middle Eastern beat. Mohan, who is a trained dancer, singer
and actress with a spot on "Coke [V] Popstars 2" and a role in the
Sunny Deol production "Socha Na Tha" to her credit, is also the lead
singer in a Mumbai pop band called Aasma.
"Rang De Basanti" produced some of the most exciting scenes of the
night as Naresh Iyer teamed with rapper/lyricist Blaaze on the rock
anthem "Paathshala/ Be a rebel," and Sivamani tore up the drums
on "Khalbali" as dancers in shiny white bodysuits moved around the
stage.
Hariharan, accompanied by Sadhana Sargam, lent a delicate touch
to "Sapnay's" "Chanda re" and - since no Rahman show would be
complete without it - turned in a haunting version of "Roja" in Hindi.
Sukhwinder excelled on "Ramta jogi" and his usual marathon version
of "Chhaiya chhaiya," and was joined by Stanford University's
talented a cappella troupe Raagapella on "Chan chan" from Deepa
Mehta's Oscar-nominated film, "Water."
Naresh Iyer, too, got plenty of stage time on songs
like "RDB's" "Roobaroo," performing a duet with Rahman on vocals.
Fans hoping for songs from "Lagaan," "Bombay Dreams" or "Jillendru
Oru Kadhal," one of 2006's biggest Tamil soundtracks, will have to
wait until Rahman's next show, as he deliberately left them out this
time around.
Rahman's between-song patter was economical, at one time giving a
brief mention to the fact that several of "Water's" songs had been
shortlisted for a Best Song Oscar nomination.
He also mentioned his efforts to help bring the Taj Mahal to
international prominence with a new campaign to add it to an official
list of the New Seven Wonders of the World (as India-West readers
know, Rahman has agreed to compose a song to spread awareness of
New7Wonders. com, the New Seven Wonders voting campaign on the
Internet). "Officially, the Taj is not a Wonder of the World," he
said. "That's a fact. Ask your friends to vote for it on the Net."
Rahman even showed his comic side when he made a thinly veiled barb
at pop music phenomenon Himesh Reshammiya. Telling the audience that
he'd been working and traveling a lot lately and had caught a cold,
Rahman said he told his doctor that he was concerned that he couldn't
perform with such a nasal voice.
"The doctor said not to worry - that's the 'in' thing," said Rahman.
Rahman seemed genuinely touched when he learned that the City of
Oakland had proclaimed June 2 as "A.R. Rahman Day" in the city, and
warmly accepted a plaque from a representative of Oakland City
Council President Ignacio De La Fuente.
This show was quite different in tone from Rahman's most recent
California shows. His Hollywood Bowl performance last July (the first
Indian concert in the venue's history) focused on more of a crossover
international sound, with music from "Bombay Dreams" and the Chinese
epic "Warriors of Heaven and Earth"; while Rahman's 2001 and 2003
shows featured marquee names such as Udit Narayan and were more
emotionally resonant, tending more toward romantic material and more
sensitive solos at the piano than 2007's largely high energy rock
focus.
Deepak Mehta of Mehta Entertainment, making his debut as an
international promoter with this tour, and his brother, promoter
Vinod Mehta, made special concessions to VIP ticketholders by laying
down a red carpet in the VIP section, where guests sipped
complimentary champagne.
"I feel proud of the show," Deepak Mehta told India-West
afterward. "It was an excellent show, and to put this kind of thing
on is not a small thing."
Mehta also mentioned that he will be bringing top-selling qawaali
artist Rahat Fateh Ali Khan to Chabot College in Hayward, Calif.,
June 30. See www.MehtaEntertainm ent.com for details.
:by indiawest
-A
