A.R. Rahman, performing at a crowded Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates on Friday,
balanced moments of serenity with elaborate set pieces that came across like
scenes from a particularly colorful Bollywood musical.
In one memorable vignette, a cadre of dancers recreated a prison break,
twisting and writhing on a metal gate as spotlights scanned the stage like
helicopter searchlights. Contrast that with a tranquil "Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera,"
which found a pair of dancers "flying" giant kites tethered to the rafters.
Rahman, perhaps best known stateside for his "Slumdog Millionaire" film score,
incorporated an array of musical styles into a genre-defying, 160-minute set
that saw him blending traditional Indian music with everything from hip-hop to
rock to electronica. One number, "Bharat Humko," even hinted at musical
theater, sounding like Broadway-by-way-of-Mumbai
Dressed in a sharp gray suit, Rahman playfully channeled Charlie Chaplin on
percussive opener "O...Saya," repeatedly feigning surprise as
colorfully-clothed dancers popped up through various trap doors on the stage
like the fuzzy critters in a Whac-A-Mole game. Indeed, the stage itself was
something of a marvel, capable of transforming from a peaceful river setting to
a gated prison by adjusting a few movable pieces. A curved catwalk also
extended rainbow-like into the audience, allowing Rahman to lead his
eight-piece band on a conga line into the heart of the crowd on a carnivalesque
"Humma Humma."
A trio of supporting singers—Hariharan, Shweta Pandit and Neetii Muhan—provided
additional thrills. Hariharan, his larynx rubber-band elastic, seemed to pour a
lifetime of longing into a sultry "Hai Rama Yeh Kya Hua," while Pandit and
Muhan's voices weaved together like fragile fabric on the sitar-fueled "Mehndi
Hai Rachnewali." Less intriguing were repeated appearances by rapper Blaaze,
who bludgeoned his way through mindlessly repetitive jams like "Taxi Taxi."
Unsurprisingly, Rahman and Co. sang largely in Hindi throughout, presenting
only a handful of tunes in English. Judging from the overly-sentimental
"Latika's Theme," which sounded like a cornball ballad from a Disney cartoon
("You are the magic in the world I see"), the decision was a wise one.
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-live-0621-ar-rahman-revew-20100620,0,1058897.story
