Arijit Singh serenades Dubai with his romantic ballads

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Arijit Singh serenades Dubai with his romantic ballads
Arijit Singh

Published: Sat 12 Jan 2019, 4:09 PM

Last updated: Sat 19 Jan 2019, 11:36 AM

Bollywood's own 'Ed Sheeran' Arijit Singh, mesmerised a packed house with his soul-stirring songs this Friday. On a chilly, windy night, Singh wowed the audience and held them in thrall as he warmed their hearts with his vast repertoire of romantic ballads and other hits in a three-hour, non-stop concert at the Dubai World Trade Center Arena.
The otherwise reticent singer, took the stage saying (the few words we heard from him throughout the night), "In 2016, I performed here with a symphony orchestra. This time, I am playing with musicians from all over the world, from different genres. Enjoy the evening."
He then broke off into a spellbinding, power-rock driven set featuring songs like Hawayein (from the movie Jab Harry Met Sejal), Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Channa Mereya, Enna Sona, Janam Janam and more.
The concert was split into two sessions with a brief  'Two Minute' break between the sessions. But to everyone's surprise, as soon as the crowd started getting up from their seats to fill up on refreshments during the break, Singh, true to his word returned to the stage in two minutes. "I meant it when I said it was a 2-minute break," the singer joked (this was the other sentence we heard from him during the concert).
The second part of the show was a more intimate one. More like a Coke Studio-type session with the singer belting out a medley of covers by Lata Mangeshkar (surprise, surprise!), Mukesh, Jagjit Singh, AR Rahman and even a track by Pakistani rock legends Junoon (anyone remember the epic track Sayonee?).
While the first session featured improvised, up-tempo rock versions of Singh's hits, the second part was more somber with the singer either playing the grand piano or slinging on a 'baby' acoustic guitar (much like Ed Sheeran) and serenading the ecstatic crowd with a medley of hits from the past.
He had the audience sing along to  tracks like Jo Wada Kiya Woh Nibhana Padega, Kabhie Kabhie, Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho and Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaye, to name a few. Hearing Singh interpret these classics in his inimitable style was a treat for the ears. The audience were so tuned to Singh's numbers that, at times, when they sang in unison with the singer, they even overpowered Singh's powerful vocals.
The humongous stage looked a tad small to accommodate Singh's extended band that featured a group of backing singers, and a mix of Indian and Western musicians playing a variety of instruments like the violin, cello, didgeridoo (Aboriginal wind instrument), mandolin and sitar. The inclusion of a Flamenco guitarist in the band was a good move as it gave some of the songs a Spanish touch. In one track, Singh strung a Dhol around his neck and jammed with the band.
The concert ended on a high note, a little past midnight, with the singer belting out his lilting hit Tumi Hi Ho (from the movie Aashiqui 2), Soch Na Sake (from Airlift) and Samjhawan (from Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania), eventually bringing the curtain down with the soothing, Sufi-influenced Kabira. It was a wonderful sight to see the crowd in front of the stage and sing along with him.
Music lovers are sure to remember Singh's performance for a long time, and they may, perhaps, even add it to their list of the top 10 Bollywood concerts they've seen so far!
michael@khaleejtimes.com

By Michael Gomes

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