AR Rahman Live in Concert 2011 Dubai - A Real Review

Show was in Dubai International Cricket Stadium – Commercial city of United Arab Emirates. I'd been to this fabulous stadium once for a cricket match, it was long time ago when the stadium just opened for matches. Construction sites everywhere, no proper road, no proper signs. Expecting to change things dramatically like real Dubai within few years was my mistake; nothing had changed, still in very awkward situation!

Show starts at 9 pm according to the event organizers, gate will open at 5 pm for the public. Get there to the stadium was easy, as I left home at 3pm; Fridays are holidays here, so no traffic jams one usually anticipates on Emirates road. But same problems persists, no proper road leading to the stadium, fine dust fog will cover your car if you happen to follow one in the front. Somehow parked the car and took a long walk to the stadium. Nice; I can hear music practice going on inside the stadium, AR Rahman crooning for his favorite numbers, may be they are checking the speaker and light settings one last time before the show starts.

AR Rahman's Grand Entry. 

Definitely Video is not doing justice to the real time experience.

There were a lot of people came even before me, its winter here; very comfortable weather (winter temperature is roughly 24 degree Celsius in this part of the world, almost summer time temp in western countries) I had a ticket for Premium Grand Stand that costs AED 250 (approximately $70). One security guard asked me to go to the other side of the stadium where the Grand Stand entry is. Some Egyptian security guards are there too, when I asked a guy who was always shouting at his colleagues seems like knowing everything about that stadium and event instructed me to stay there in the queue and that is the entry for VIP and Grand Stand ticket holders. I got relieved looking back to the queue; it was growing like an anaconda, decision to come early is paid off. All of a sudden that same guard came out and shouted “this is only for VIP and Standing ticket holders!” I got surprised; what the fuck is he saying? How come you put VIP and standing ticket holders together through one entry? Apparently nobody has a clue about the whole thing! I had a small spat with the guy who mislead me. Now I have to find the Gate 15, and for sure I will be the last one in the queue. No signage, nothing is written at the entrance except the gate number. Luckily the queue was just forming as the guides themselves just found out where the Premium Grand Stand gate is; so many unlucky ticket holders are just finding their right entry from different other queues where there were initially in.

People started pouring in, queue got larger and larger, the gate opened at 6 pm instead of 5 pm which they initially announced. It was very cold out there; because of open area and probably higher from the sea level the cold wind is blowing through hair and ears.

AR Rahman at his best! Humma Humma!

My initial feeling of seeing the stage was not very impressive; stadium too is not at all a big one comparing to other stadiums in the country. I chose a very good seating position where I can watch without any disturbance. Seats are dirty; I cleaned with bare hand and washed the hand with the mineral water which I bought it for AED 10. Outside I can buy 10 bottles for that money. OK, that’s how the events make money. That’s why they don’t allow bringing any food or beverages to the stadium as well.

Crowd started building, but not that much as I expected, or was I expecting too much? On time 9 pm the whole lights gone off, the stage bathed in a pool of blue light. Huge roar from the crowd…

Then beam of lights started blinking there and here with the escort of Sivamani’s drum skills. A thunderous clap and roar from the crowd, the reason, there is a man standing in the middle of the stage like a silhouette. It just looked like he appeared from the smoke. More lights to the man, his face showed on the big screens that placed both sides of the stage. With a goggle. Unmistakably he is the reason for all these people are here including me!  In unremitting clap and cheer, a very familiar voice rose up

“Nadaan Parinthey…” AR Rahman!

Surprisingly the sound quality wasn’t good enough. Stage was superb with a lot of digital displays and projector lights, the sound quality wasn’t up to the mark compare to ARR’s other music concerts. Not even close. There is no pristine sound, it all sounded like under the blanket! The sound engineer should be fired or cut his salary for two events!

Aaromale.... Superb rock!

As usual AR Rahman stole the show. He was there from the beginning to end. Incredible energy, superb selection of songs, still you will carve for more from the maestro. This time he did not come with a lot of established singers like Hariharan, K.S Chitra, Sukhvinder Singh, SPB etc. And that shows in the show. I think from now on AR Rahman should take at least Hariharan with him! Whatever it takes; he can lift the whole event into another level. No doubt!

Shivamani was in full form, so is Stephen Devasya. Mohit Chouhan is one lucky bastard, now he is the new talk of the town, sharing the stage with none other than AR Rahman! The Rock Star Movie changed his fortune, became a very busy man and even bigger celebrity over night!

Slum dog Millionaire music bit...

My pick of the lot from the event is the Rock version of "Chiku buku chiku buku railay" sung by AR Rahman’s childhood buddy Suresh Peters! It was mind blowing! I think with those heavy metal rock beats and lead guitar; even today it can be a block buster! Even after nearly 19 years it sounds fresh and joyful!

Another master piece was ARR’s combination song with the great Lata Mangeshker where he played the track of the legendary singer and her video showed on display screens. It almost looked like she was there in the stage singing with AR Rahman. Great idea and execution.

Next one is where a Saxophone player (kindly let me know his name if anybody knows – definitely not Kadri Gopalnath) came to the stage and started playing cat and mouse game with the crowd. He plays one piece and crowd repeats it, it lasted a minute or so, people started laughing and suddenly a very familiar tune he played along with Shivamani’s big bang drums. It swept me off the ground! OMG, crowd erupted, people gone mad…

It was the very famous “ Humma Humma” song from the Maniratnam movie Bombay! Unbelievable response from the crowd, AR Rahman sang the song. No rap insertions, neither Blazee nor Fernadous. Still it sounded too good!

Alphonse sang the rock number “Aaromale…” perfectly. He won few young hearts for sure as there was loud applause from the audience.

Finally the youth anthem, the happening number…

Sadaa Haq!

Again wonderful rock music, I only hoped for the better sound quality.

AR Rahman packed up with his patriotic song Vande Matharam.

It was a 3 hour show, while coming out of the stadium I was carving for more like thousands there, 3 hours are very little time.

Torture again to come out of the stadium; I must say driving centimeters away from the car in front is a skill. Only one way available for all those thick crowd to go out. It took more than an hour just to go out of the stadium area.

Very bad organizing, very bad event management, really bad location, and poor sound quality. Despite of all these shortcomings I would definitely go again if there is an AR Rahman show. He is rewriting even the way the music show is conducted on the stage! He is god gifted real Rock Star! His humbleness and way of talking like an innocent child would melt your heart. His voice is recognizable even in sleep. When he dedicated two songs to his fans by saying “these songs are only for you” everyone sitting there including me felt personal.

Thank you AR Rahman for endless entertainment; thanks for surprising us with your sheer innovation and guts to experiment. You are the music guru, and you will be the only one!

Jai Ho Rahman!

Whites Whitewashed Tricolors!

Speechless!

India went to England with lots of expectations, carrying the tag of No.1 Test team in the world. Coming back not only being lost that tag to England but humiliatingly pushed to 3rd spot.

Whitewash 4-0!

Finally Gavaskar said something sensible

The No.1 team does not lose like this, backed up by his deputy Ravi Shastri "It was a combination of a lot of factors - injuries, lack of form. But this is a rude wake-up call"

Sachin Tendulkar came agonizingly close to a phenomenal 100^th international century before a pathetic India slumped to an innings and eight runs defeat in fourth and final cricket test to give ruthless England a resounding 4-0 series win.

It seems like every Indian all over the world want Sachin Tendulkar to score a century rather than India saving a test match collectively. Everybody was praying over the net for Sachin not India.

Sachin is a great player, but he did not click in this series, and his century will not make India No.1 team again. Hard pill to swallow!

Dhoni found a new way to get out in this series, fishing with the bat outside the off stump over and over again. So stubborn he is; he will never stop playing that shot. Stick the bat to the ball swinging outside off stump, apparently he wanted to hit that for a four, it is not happening and he keeps trying. Wasted 8 innings just trying that, and by look of it; he is good enough to try another 8 innings!

Dhoni’s explanation after the Indian debacle is even more dangerous than team India’s test cricket future. He was explaining about each and everybody’s injury, sick and diseases. It appears that everybody in that Indian team is sick or injured, so are they gone to England for medical attention or playing cricket match?

Gautam Gambhir played well as a 9^th batsman, he had an eye sight problem according to Dhoni, he can’t spot the cricket ball!

How the fuck you sent this left hand batsman with blurred vision to face Stuart Board and James Anderson’s bouncing balls! What if a bouncer squeezed in through the helmet gap? According to Dhoni; any way he can’t see properly, now let him have his eye sight worsen by the cricket ball so when he goes to the doctor there will be something significant to show!

We must admire two individuals in this test match for their determination and skills. One is undoubtedly Rahul Dravid. Real Wall. After watching the hot spot reply he wasn’t out in second innings. It proves that if a batsman is unlucky not even DRS system can save him! The second one is Amith Mishra, not for his bowling skills but batting, in fact he batted better than Sachin Tendulkar in that innings of 84! Packed with 10 fluent fours. Lofted shots, sweeps and lovely straight drives. Man this guy got talent as a batsman, what is he doing in bowling department?

Sack Suresh Raina in next test, get another batsman (not Yuvraj please – we don’t want to give rotten potato for rotten tomato) include this chap, he will try to bowl and definitely he will bat.

Wait… what was that so called Kerala Express was trying to do on that last ball? Trying to hit over the oval or trying to hit on his own helmet? Even if it connects it looked like to shoot over his head for a catch. Oh god, who will teach him?

Now the story is over.

India pushed back to 3^rd position.

Sachin Tendulkar did not score his all important 100^th century.

(After failing nine times in nervous nineties in test, plus another 17 near misses with tons in One day Internationals, he is now biggest chokers in world cricket)

Sehwag’s hyped up come back did not even made a trace.

One thing got to tell you guys; don’t ever say that Sachin Tendulkar is not after money.

He is!

I have proof for that.

If anybody interested kindly let me know.

Orange Flame!

OK, here is the team that has no relevant to the state that represents.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala.  No owners or players are from the state, and they picked up the players from the auction table whom didn’t hurt their bank account either. Only Keralite Player who fancied as their ace card been paid so much more than what he really deserves now sitting out of the team because of the poor form with the ball.

When Sachin Tendulkar scored a sensational century against Tuskers the whole brand new stadium been literally blessed! We will see more cricket matches there in the future. But I don’t think the stadium is jam packed as what Mr.Ravi Shastri had wrongly conveyed. The camera man accidentally showed some empty gallery, his salary in this match will be under threat for sure!

Sree Santh who is sitting on the bench told his good pal Harbhajan Singh how Mumbai captain Sachin Tendulkar supporting his team Kochi Tuskers Kerala by wearing the orange cap. This time SreeSanth cleverly kept a fair distance from Bhajji while talking. Anything and everything you see in Orange is color of Kerala. Not green anymore! 

Munaf Patel improved his bowling excellently, but not even an inch of improvement on the fielding, when the ball goes to the boundary line where Munaf is guarding; every Munbai Indians would give up as boundary, few over ambitious souls like Sachin and Bhajji will be hoping and praying for the wonder like Munaf jumping or sliding on the field to prevent a boundary to happen! So far wonder didn’t take place. Sorry.

Harbhajan Singh got a better chance to give an extended explanation to Symonds in point of fact what had happened a long time ago when he called him Monkey. In fact it wasn’t monkey, it was Teri Makki…., In India that is worse than calling someone a mere monkey! Dude, this 6 foot and some inches tall giant can knock Bhajji down with a slightest pat, do you guys still remember how Symo had floored a streaker in Australia? It would be good if Bhaji remember that more than us.

McCullam cut loose on Mumbai Indians, one- because of some poor fielding effort from Mumbai team that cost them the match, two – because of the fact Sachin had scored century! How many times did we seen Sachin scoring century and losing the match!

Ravindra Jadeja got excited over their first win that too against the No.1 team in the IPL chart so far. He hit two consecutive sixes to bring home the victory. Fair enough, today is (15 April) the Malayalam New Year in Kerala, a celebration called Vishu. No one including their captain said anything about Vishu nor wished a prosperous Vishu to their ardent fans home. That is cementing the fact what I said in the beginning of this article!

IPL Fungama! Let's Start!

So there it is. If you are in a pub celebrating historical Indian World Cup victory; take your next zip of beer after a while, IPL has started rolling!

New Team Kochi Tuskers Kerala proved from their first match against Bangalore Royal Challengers, they are going to be the savers of KKR this year. They will never allow KKR to touch the bottom line; it is booked and taken by Mahela Jayavardane’s KTK this year! Sorry to disappoint you Mr.SRK.

Look at their team, highly inconsistent cricketer McCullum who always try experimental shots to get out as their opener, Test specialist VVS Laxman, choker (not joker) R Jadeja (OK, I changed my mind, he is bit of both), even Australians won’t agree if I say Hodge is a good T20 cricketer. Then Kerala’s Super Hero Sri Santh. If anyone think this team can make in to semi finals of this year’s IPL require urgent medical attention!

Sree Santh is a Sachin Tendulkar of Kerala, Sree Santh even started growing hair like Sachin Tendulkar once was in his early career, Sree’s hair had out grown his head such a degree, once the cricket ball bounced after accidentally hitting his head err, hair!

The whole gallery was cheering for him in Kochi Stadium, and he himself had puzzled seeing a good portion of crowd chanting his name. Sree Santh never allowed crowd to cheer for him in his entire career till now. He had seen pinching himself and patting on his head out of utter disbelieve. “Am I gone mad or the whole crowd gone mad?” He even gave a flying kiss to the crowd after taking a first wicket in this year’s IPL.

KTK’s jersey is very vibrant, colorful and energetic, unlike their players. At least one thing they got it right on that perspective.

As usual KKR started with a defeat. But this time the margin was less. So definitely there is improvement from last year!

Check this blog regularly for more IPL news and gossips.

ICC World Cup Snippets – Part 3

World Cup is over but Indian cricket fans all over the world still refuse to put a stop on celebrations. Not all of them are happy like Indians. There is a country that moans even now!

A criminal case filed against Pakistan Captain Shahid Afridi, Information Minister Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan and Interior Minister Abdur Rehman Malik for murdering three Pakistan cricket fans!!

How do they murder? It requires little explanation – Three Pakistan men died of heart attack after their team lost to India! A lawyer filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking a judicial probe into the defeat of Pakistan cricket team in the semi-finals, played in Mohali India.

Azhar Siddique, advocate claimed that the government deliberately got its team routed due to its friendship with India. So indirectly Shahid Afridi and his fellow Pakistanis are murdered their own fans by playing shoddy game!

This took exactly 2 hours and 52 minutes for a supporting staff to put in plain words to Pakistan Captain Shahid Afridi! Still he asks in extreme perplexity “lekin, may kaisa khoon kia yaar? I did not see those guys died in my entire life. I really don’t know them! How can I kill them?”

Pakistan wicket keeper Kamran Akmal was in the lime light throughout the tournament more for bad reasons than not. Akmal’s calamitous performance behind the stumps against New Zealand unleashed a stream of criticism and paved for the younger brother Umar to take over. Kamran promised Umar two choco bars and a lolly pop if he can find some way to rescue his elder brother from this extreme jeopardy! What did Umar do, he hurt his finger and then ankle to prove that he is unfit for wicket keeping job. In fact Umar is very clever; he killed two birds with one stone. By seeing his brother struggling behind the stumps he is not at all keen to take up the job, one way or other he would be slipping away from this suicidal post, which is what exactly he did with 2 choco bars and a lolly pop!

You will see the matches interrupted by the fanatical crowd throwing water bottles and placards to the ground, because they can’t bear to see their team be defeated. Here the story is different, Bangladesh cricket fans stoned at West Indies team bus following their home team’s defeat against Caribbean! So this really is a serious threat! Bear in mind, if anybody wins against Bangladesh will face same consequences!

Colombo organizers were a little too quick off the mark with the firework display arranged to coincide with the end of Muttiah Miralitharan’s last appearance on home soil. Thilsan Samaraveera was still seeking the winning run against the New Zealand when the night sky was prematurely lit up. A New Zealand batsman asked so sympathetically after the match “Are they really over bored of Murali? Seems like they just wanted to send him off as quickly as possible!”

Aspiring actress Poonam Pandey who has grabbed headlines for stating that she will bare all if Team India wins the World Cup, has been flooded with offers from foreign glossies, international magazines and even some adult toy companies. See how a 19 year old intelligent girl making money and building her career along with cricketers who played in the world cup! Every one expecting a live naked show after the Indian win got disappointed. Poonam said it is only for men in blue, not for everyone!  She sent an official letter to the BCCI saying going naked for the team would have a ‘therapeutic’ effect on Team India and help them win! In the letter she wrote “…I want India to win the Cricket World Cup 2011 and am willing to go the extra mile to do anything so that India wins the World Cup. I am ready and willing at any place and time of the Indian teams choosing to go in the nude to boost their sporting spirit to perform better.”

Did she really think these Indians can get hard on by seeing her ‘snooker table’ body? Dear Poonam, these are the guys playing for IPL every year, you are not half beautiful and fit than those cheer ladies at the boundary lines. If you doubt my claim ask Ashish Nehra, even he will agree with me! Only guy who asked about you after the match was Piyush Chawla. He is curious rather than desperate as he haven’t seen anything like that in his life before, but not all of them are like him, you idiot!