Thursday, June 04, 2015

A R Rahman - Intimate Concert 2015 - Grand Prairie TX

Five more years have gone by since the last A R Rahman concert. It was time for another one. This time it was the AR Rahman Intimate concert.

Wednesday evening 8pm is never a great time for a concert! Then it is Rahman right!!
No ads. No promos for the event. High ticket prices!

Firstly, the learning from the previous concert in Dallas as i listed in my post, were taken care as though somebody actually read my post and implemented each one of them!
1. 8 pm concert started at 8.30
2. Much smaller halls, which was full, unlike partly full AA center
3. No screen display of the performers.
- Eliminates irritating shoddy camera work
- You cannot identify lip-out-of-syncs unless you had a binocular and managed to dodge the blinding lights that were on the audience.
4. No 'ye to des hai...'
5. No Hariharan
6. No Bombay theme music...

Now
Show was designed with a barebone singing talent. It was Haricharan, Jonita Gandhi, Annette and Rahman who did 90% of the songs. Now compare this to the 2005 experience. Night and Day. Chalk and Cheese.
The selection of songs were also restricted to what this quatret can afford to accomplish. Also songs like "Uyire" or "Roja Jane Man" better bet left alone for Hariharan, than having had HariCharan!

Given most singers have started touring US and other foreign land themselves and filling in their coffers, it might not have fit for them to join in a music director's tour and add color here...

First half of the program was very slow, dull.  No peppy numbers. No superstar song. That is right... "NO SUPERSTAR SONGS.." are you kidding me?!?!

Later part of the show got few songs!! No Merasalayitten. No Sonapariya No kadal Raasa naan No Adiye Adiye. Though.. Aruvai pattus galore here too.

For someone who goes to this concert every five years, i expected this to be stocked well with music produced since 2010.  However it was a lot of Rahman's early years music. Roja, Sathiya, Bombay, Dil se, Taal.  Have heard them in the past, from better singers too...

Mahive, and highway songs had good effect in working the crowds up. There were some who were shouting "Telugu", but not even one song was from telugu.

Exactly what i said in 2010 applies here as well..

"If what Dallas saw is what this tour is all about, you will lose nothing by not attending it.!"

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