BY SONAM MIRPURI
LONG BEACH, CA - The excitement of a never before seen combination of amazing artists, brought 8,000 people to one concert hall on Sept.18, to witness and enjoy what could only be an unparalleled performance.Two musicians and their teams came together to sing an array of hit songs,
LONG BEACH, CA - The excitement of a never before seen combination of amazing artists, brought 8,000 people to one concert hall on Sept.18, to witness and enjoy what could only be an unparalleled performance.Two musicians and their teams came together to sing an array of hit songs,
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dance energetically and completely engage the audience. Not only did the dynamic duo of Sonu Nigam and Atif Aslam dazzle with their own numbers, they also sang each other’s hit renditions and those by other musicians as a dedication to them.
The awesome-twosome came together in “Klose to You” a concert held at the Long Beach Arena here and brought to a delighted SoCal audience by Manoj Kay Tee and Anil Shah of StagePaint Productions. After an unforeseen delay due to traffic and parking problems, the concert began around 7:30, an hour later than expected. The famed artists were cooperative and elected to wait rather than start without a majority of the sold out audience present.
“We should wait,” said Aslam in response to delayed appearance of the audience, according to Kay Tee.
Thanks to Aslam and Nigam’s patience, the wait became worth the while. The show, quite simply, was an indescribable experience. The overall ambiance of the concert was seamless sound, a well-lit atmosphere, and an excellent use of multimedia. Aslam and Nigam’s show would definitely be at par with any musical concert held at Staples Center.
When the show did begin, Aslam came on stage to a cheering and screaming audience who could no longer hold its enthusiasm. The first song he sang was one of his first and most popular Bollywood songs, “Woh Lamhe.” Once the audience heard the introductory music to this song, the cheers, screams, and whistles got louder and continued for his entire hour and a half set.
The energy from the audience was so invigorating that it reflected onto Aslam who continued to sing and perform with never before seen zest. Screams and cheers increased as the beginning music for “Tera Hone Laga Hoon” started to play. By now, the audience was no longer able to remain seated, swaying and dancing at their seats.
“I am here and famous today because of God’s grace and your love. So, thank you!,” said Aslam to the audience after he replied to an audience member who said, “I love you.”
Continuing his performance and feeling the exhilarating vibes from the audience, Aslam danced and jumped as he sang another of his hits, “Pehli Nazar Mein.” During this song, Aslam came to the corner of the stage and audiences could not help themselves but to get close to him. So, as he sang he took the time to either shake hands or high five the gathered crowd.
The excitement continued with a remixed version of “Main Rang Sharbaton Ka” to which not only did the audience dance but Aslam did too, in the instrumental sections. Other songs that received the utmost love, praise, and appreciation from the audience were “Tu Jaane Na,” “Aadat,” and one of his more recent songs, “Tere Sang Yaara.”
At the end of his set, Aslam promised that Sonu Nigam would be up next and introduced him as, “an artist I have the utmost respect for.” After a short break, the crowd came back with even more energy and when Nigam came on stage sent out a roar of approval as they heard him singing “Shukran Allah” after dancers performed to an instrumental version of “Jeene Ke Hain Char Din.”
Singing one of his favorite songs, “Mera Rang De,” Nigam started off in a patriotic mood. The background screens displayed the tri color Indian flag to appropriately emote the feelings that were being expressed.
While he sang “Mere Haath Mein” and “Kajra Mohabbat Wala,” Nigam indulged in a call and response format where he sang the first few words and then egged the audience to complete it. They obliged singing in perfect unison. To which Nigam paused to wipe his tears. “I got emotional,” said Nigam jokingly. Now it was time for some “masti” (fun) as Nigam put it.
To quicken the pace, Nigam sang his mashup song “Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte” mixed with other popular songs from that era, to which the audience again screamed, shouted, cheered, and whistled to show Nigam their love for the song. Not only did Nigam sing beautifully, he danced remarkably as well. Keeping the audience guessing by going back and forth between fast and slow songs, Nigam sang “Just Chill” then transitioned into “Saathiya.” Audiences appreciated the variation between beats to keep them on their toes. There was not a moment in which Nigam seemed like he wanted to take a break. Fulfilling requests from the audience as well, Nigam sang a song that he said he will always treasure, “Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin.” To which he received a standing ovation. The pair of master singers then came on stage together and took turns singing a few older songs from singers that have inspired and motivated them to become who they are today. Nigam sang “Lambi Judai” in dedication to the original singer, Reshma, and Aslam sang “Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein” originally sang by Mukesh. Singing the highly anticipated “Kal Ho Naa Ho” the dynamic duo and the dancers brought the entire audience to their feet and the concert to a banging end.
The awesome-twosome came together in “Klose to You” a concert held at the Long Beach Arena here and brought to a delighted SoCal audience by Manoj Kay Tee and Anil Shah of StagePaint Productions. After an unforeseen delay due to traffic and parking problems, the concert began around 7:30, an hour later than expected. The famed artists were cooperative and elected to wait rather than start without a majority of the sold out audience present.
“We should wait,” said Aslam in response to delayed appearance of the audience, according to Kay Tee.
Thanks to Aslam and Nigam’s patience, the wait became worth the while. The show, quite simply, was an indescribable experience. The overall ambiance of the concert was seamless sound, a well-lit atmosphere, and an excellent use of multimedia. Aslam and Nigam’s show would definitely be at par with any musical concert held at Staples Center.
When the show did begin, Aslam came on stage to a cheering and screaming audience who could no longer hold its enthusiasm. The first song he sang was one of his first and most popular Bollywood songs, “Woh Lamhe.” Once the audience heard the introductory music to this song, the cheers, screams, and whistles got louder and continued for his entire hour and a half set.
The energy from the audience was so invigorating that it reflected onto Aslam who continued to sing and perform with never before seen zest. Screams and cheers increased as the beginning music for “Tera Hone Laga Hoon” started to play. By now, the audience was no longer able to remain seated, swaying and dancing at their seats.
“I am here and famous today because of God’s grace and your love. So, thank you!,” said Aslam to the audience after he replied to an audience member who said, “I love you.”
Continuing his performance and feeling the exhilarating vibes from the audience, Aslam danced and jumped as he sang another of his hits, “Pehli Nazar Mein.” During this song, Aslam came to the corner of the stage and audiences could not help themselves but to get close to him. So, as he sang he took the time to either shake hands or high five the gathered crowd.
The excitement continued with a remixed version of “Main Rang Sharbaton Ka” to which not only did the audience dance but Aslam did too, in the instrumental sections. Other songs that received the utmost love, praise, and appreciation from the audience were “Tu Jaane Na,” “Aadat,” and one of his more recent songs, “Tere Sang Yaara.”
At the end of his set, Aslam promised that Sonu Nigam would be up next and introduced him as, “an artist I have the utmost respect for.” After a short break, the crowd came back with even more energy and when Nigam came on stage sent out a roar of approval as they heard him singing “Shukran Allah” after dancers performed to an instrumental version of “Jeene Ke Hain Char Din.”
Singing one of his favorite songs, “Mera Rang De,” Nigam started off in a patriotic mood. The background screens displayed the tri color Indian flag to appropriately emote the feelings that were being expressed.
While he sang “Mere Haath Mein” and “Kajra Mohabbat Wala,” Nigam indulged in a call and response format where he sang the first few words and then egged the audience to complete it. They obliged singing in perfect unison. To which Nigam paused to wipe his tears. “I got emotional,” said Nigam jokingly. Now it was time for some “masti” (fun) as Nigam put it.
To quicken the pace, Nigam sang his mashup song “Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte” mixed with other popular songs from that era, to which the audience again screamed, shouted, cheered, and whistled to show Nigam their love for the song. Not only did Nigam sing beautifully, he danced remarkably as well. Keeping the audience guessing by going back and forth between fast and slow songs, Nigam sang “Just Chill” then transitioned into “Saathiya.” Audiences appreciated the variation between beats to keep them on their toes. There was not a moment in which Nigam seemed like he wanted to take a break. Fulfilling requests from the audience as well, Nigam sang a song that he said he will always treasure, “Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin.” To which he received a standing ovation. The pair of master singers then came on stage together and took turns singing a few older songs from singers that have inspired and motivated them to become who they are today. Nigam sang “Lambi Judai” in dedication to the original singer, Reshma, and Aslam sang “Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein” originally sang by Mukesh. Singing the highly anticipated “Kal Ho Naa Ho” the dynamic duo and the dancers brought the entire audience to their feet and the concert to a banging end.
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