A.R. Rahman & His Amazing Technicolor Traveling Show June 20th, 2010 16:13 | No Comments<http://www.lazybuzz.com/2010/06/a-r-rahman-his-amazing-technicolor-traveling-show/#comments> | Posted by Mamtha Jeswani in Bollywood Buzz<http://www.lazybuzz.com/category/news-gossips/bollywood-buzz/>
To those of us who know *A. R. Rahman <http://www.arrahman.com/>* as the quiet, spiritual and introverted musician who typically sits at his keyboard and unassumingly provides the haunting vocals to some of the most spine-tingling songs this side of Paradise, his current ‘Jai Ho - The Journey Home World Tour 2010′ is as shocking as watching *Asha Bhosle<http://www.asha-bhonsle.com/> * singing - and dancing?! - a Lady Gaga song. Which, of course, would make for a grand sight and provide us with some pretty amazing hours of nearly mind-altering entertainment, but might not end up doing justice to the persons behind the music nor the soul of the material. While each genre has its own merit - I am definitely an equal opportunity listener - I have always believed that fusion is not the same as confusion. And that elusive “crossover” from one culture into another that everyone is going for these days requires that an artist always remain firmly true to his/her own roots as a foundation. [image: jaiho1]A. R. Rahman - the man Time magazine has called the ”Mozart of Madras” - is, in my view, a god. When I was in the audience at Nassau Coliseum a couple of years ago - then a stop on his 2007 tour following his work on the soundtracks for the Aamir Khan starrer ‘Rang De Basanti’, as well as the hits ‘Sivaji’ and ‘Guru’ - Rahman’s magnetic stage presence was complemented with perfect discipline and subtlety by the talented musicians and charismatic singers who made up his band at the time. It was there - in the midst of his grandness which was at once so humble and yet able to fill this huge venue of nearly 18,000 seats - that I began understanding more deeply the true power of his beautiful, soul-touching music. The show’s simplicity then allowed a deep connection between the performer and his audience, an effect which sent tingles up my spine. I walked away from that experience a die-hard fan of Rahman’s music, stage charisma and endless talent. [image: jaiho_ganesh]And now, for something COMPLETELY different! Present day; *Nassau Coliseum <http://nassaucoliseum.com/>*; A. R. Rahman’s current World Tour. Maestro Rahman has been re-invented, re-glamourized and turned into a wondrous spectacle, able to jump from stage to stage, song to song, Tamil to Hindi to English - by way of *Michael Jackson<http://www.michaeljackson.com/us/home> * - and costume to costume in a single bound. He’s trendy, he’s hip, he’s cool and he’s surrounded by a troupe of performers with enough energy to make any Broadway musical seem like a gentle lullaby. Even his own ‘Bombay Dreams’ and THAT is saying a lot. [image: rahman_lata]The Jai Ho tour show does not lack anything, it does have it all: an LED backlit display which changes image according to the theme of the song, costumes worthy of a bridal show at *Lakme Fashion Week<http://www.lakmefashionweek.co.in/> *in Bombay and, hold on to your hats everyone, a hologram of Lata Mangeshkar herself, singing ‘Luka Chuppi’ from RDB in a duet with the live Rahman on stage… Breathtaking, you bet. Filled with the magical mysticism I was expecting? Not so much. [image: jaihoprojection]Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the A. R. Rahman concert at Nassau Coliseum this past Friday. It was indeed a spectacle and it was hard to avoid being completely entertained by a show that was at once Cirque de Soleil meets *Baz Luhrmann <http://www.bazmark.com/>*’s ‘Moulin Rouge’, with touches of Bollywood, the Middle East and even*Gaudi<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoni_Gaud%C3%AD> *’s whimsical building, the *Sagrada Familia<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia> * in Barcelona. This was indeed Entertainment, and I meant that with a capital “E”. What it may have lacked in true soul and spirituality, it more than made up for in color, fun and exhilarating energy. The dancers were divine and the costumes beautifully reminiscent of my favorite designer * Sabyasachi <http://www.sabyasachi.com/>*’s clothes at his wildest. The choreography filled the impossibly large stage and the lighting and special effects were divine. OK, so we got the hint that now that our beloved Michael Jackson has been taken from our earthly world we might want to turn to the Maestro as our next pop icon, but heavy-handed hints notwithstanding Rahman’s show was a thunderous burst of spectacular extravaganza. [image: jaiho2]Most of Rahman’s most important songs were performed. Personal favorites included the infectious ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’, the catchy ‘Pappu Can’t Dance’, a couple of RDB tracks, quite a few Tamil hits and the showstopping finale, the Oscar winning ‘Jai Ho’, which got a standing ovation in the section where I was seated. Among the standout performances were the tried and true *Hariharan<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hariharan_(singer)> * - who is at once a romantic voice yet has a wonderfully creative edge to him - *Blaaze <http://www.blaaze.in/>*doing his cool signature reggae riffs and the gracious and talented*Shweta Pandit <http://www.shwetapandit.com/>*. My final thoughts on this impeccably put-together concert have a lot to do with the desire to create, out of Desi entertainment, that seemingly unattainable crossover hit - whether it be a movie, a star or a musical genius. And by crossover I mean someone, or something, who will not only attract the Indian diaspora and the NRI crowds abroad, but also draw in other cultures, a newer audience altogether, fresh to the genre. How will this happen? Only the entertainment gods know for sure, but I would personally begin by moving these Indo-centric shows to more urban locations (Nassau Coliseum is not the same as Madison Square Garden to a NYC concert-goer). And remaining true to the soul of the Desh. In fact, why is Indian dance so popular in NYC or books on India and by Indian authors always on the best-sellers lists in the US? Because what draws a person into a culture is what that culture is made up of, it’s inner beauty and soul. That’s what made me fall in love with Maestro Rahman’s music a few years ago… Had this show been my christening into his world, I would have come away with a completely different feeling. That said, of course I insist you catch the ‘Jai Ho - The Journey Home’ Tour when it comes to a city near you! You might just end up witnessing psychedelic, Indo-pop music history in the making. http://www.lazybuzz.com/2010/06/a-r-rahman-his-amazing-technicolor-traveling-show/
