By KALYANI VASAN
LONG BEACH, CA - The massive Long Beach Arena on the sands of the Pacific Ocean reverberated with Atif Aslam’s deep belting vocals on May 6, drowned only by the never-ending applause from the audience. The night belonged to Bollywood’s wonder boy singer Atif Aslam and today’s hit maker Neha Kakkar in a concert promoted...
LONG BEACH, CA - The massive Long Beach Arena on the sands of the Pacific Ocean reverberated with Atif Aslam’s deep belting vocals on May 6, drowned only by the never-ending applause from the audience. The night belonged to Bollywood’s wonder boy singer Atif Aslam and today’s hit maker Neha Kakkar in a concert promoted...
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by Manoj Kaytee and Anil Shah in conjunction with Stage Paint Productions and other major local sponsors. The concert proved to be a mega hit event with the over 5000 strong audience, despite the late start and the fact that Aslam only came on stage post intermission. Vishal Mishra opened the show with best- known contemporary and old Bollywood songs. Neha Kakkar, the Indian Idol 2006 Season 2 participant and now successful Bollywood hit singer owned the first half. Along with opener Mishra, Kakkar made a grand entry with the `La Larappa’ song while a montage dedicated to her played in the background. From the beginning Kakkar displayed high confidence with her pleasing presence and voice. Her uncut version of `Maahi Ve’ exhibited the high decibels her vocals are capable of along with a sensitivity that the song demanded.
Kakkar’s segment of the concert reached sky-high levels when she thrilled the audience with an upbeat rendition of Coke Studio’s `Jugni Ji’ followed by the Punjabi wedding song `Mera Laung Gwatcha’. At this point she had the arena eating out of her hands and went on to kick it up more notches with her own hits “Kaala Chasma” and “Ladki Butiful”. Kakkar’s musical talent and presence seems to reflect that of Sunidhi Chauhan. At this point, an intermission was announced with a promise that Aslam, the star everyone was waiting for would hit the stage soon.
Aslam, then clad in a satin blue suit and dark glasses wowed the crowd with his good looks and began belting out his vocals with “Mein rang sharbaton Ka, tu meeth ghat ka pani” without any delays. The fact that he made such a late entrance was soon a thing of the past as he concentrated on delivering one hit after another including the romantic, “Tera Hone Laga Hoon” followed by “Allah Hun.” But, it was the gentle “Dill Diya Gallan” with Kakkar that further set the romantic mood in the arena. Along with his singing Aslam did not hesitate wowing his female fans with his characteristic on stage backward bend move!
One noticeable fact of the packed show was that there were many young fans-teenagers and 20-somethings. Many of them hummed along to the songs and were deeply involved in the mood. Aslam and Kakkar are the new breed of Bollywood performers who have successfully combined South Asian ethnic nuances with contemporary nuances, thus attracting a wide genre of music fans.
The venue for this concert could not have been better as it provided the space needed for fans to move and dance to the songs. The vast foyer area was perfect for mingling and for snacks. Considering Aslam’s fans range across two South Asian countries and beyond, the venue was big enough to house all who came. The acoustics and light show was stunning and cast the mood for each song. The technical prowess of those involved was clearly visible.
In Mumbai, Aslam who is from Pakistan, has established himself as a mainstay of Bollywood music and has won five Filmfare awards, three IIFA awards and multiple style awards. His good looks have won the hearts of thousands of female fans and his vocals have become best known for their reach and throw.
The concert showed how he can navigate effortlessly in contemporary as well as slow romantic songs and has created a niche in the highly-competitive Bollywood market. Pairing up with Kakkar for the Long Beach concert seemed to bring out the best in both and together they cast a spell of musical magical memories.
Kakkar’s segment of the concert reached sky-high levels when she thrilled the audience with an upbeat rendition of Coke Studio’s `Jugni Ji’ followed by the Punjabi wedding song `Mera Laung Gwatcha’. At this point she had the arena eating out of her hands and went on to kick it up more notches with her own hits “Kaala Chasma” and “Ladki Butiful”. Kakkar’s musical talent and presence seems to reflect that of Sunidhi Chauhan. At this point, an intermission was announced with a promise that Aslam, the star everyone was waiting for would hit the stage soon.
Aslam, then clad in a satin blue suit and dark glasses wowed the crowd with his good looks and began belting out his vocals with “Mein rang sharbaton Ka, tu meeth ghat ka pani” without any delays. The fact that he made such a late entrance was soon a thing of the past as he concentrated on delivering one hit after another including the romantic, “Tera Hone Laga Hoon” followed by “Allah Hun.” But, it was the gentle “Dill Diya Gallan” with Kakkar that further set the romantic mood in the arena. Along with his singing Aslam did not hesitate wowing his female fans with his characteristic on stage backward bend move!
One noticeable fact of the packed show was that there were many young fans-teenagers and 20-somethings. Many of them hummed along to the songs and were deeply involved in the mood. Aslam and Kakkar are the new breed of Bollywood performers who have successfully combined South Asian ethnic nuances with contemporary nuances, thus attracting a wide genre of music fans.
The venue for this concert could not have been better as it provided the space needed for fans to move and dance to the songs. The vast foyer area was perfect for mingling and for snacks. Considering Aslam’s fans range across two South Asian countries and beyond, the venue was big enough to house all who came. The acoustics and light show was stunning and cast the mood for each song. The technical prowess of those involved was clearly visible.
In Mumbai, Aslam who is from Pakistan, has established himself as a mainstay of Bollywood music and has won five Filmfare awards, three IIFA awards and multiple style awards. His good looks have won the hearts of thousands of female fans and his vocals have become best known for their reach and throw.
The concert showed how he can navigate effortlessly in contemporary as well as slow romantic songs and has created a niche in the highly-competitive Bollywood market. Pairing up with Kakkar for the Long Beach concert seemed to bring out the best in both and together they cast a spell of musical magical memories.
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