The article which appears below, was originally published by Amith Chandran on A.R. Rahman Yahoo Groups in May 2009. ©The rights to this material are reserved to the owner. If you have any concerns or comments, please send an email to info@rahmaniac.com.
Travelling to the A.R Rahman Concert: From Mumbai to Kozhikode
Between 3 pm to 7 pm: ‘Welcome to Kozhikode City – We hope you enjoy your trip’. The signboard printed in the flex welcomes us in Malayalam, English and Hindi. Reading that, we look at each other, smile, and move ahead with our baggage. The craze of witnessing A.R. Rahman live in concert finally brings us from Mumbai to Kozhikode. The show is being organized by the Global Kerala Initiative – Keraleeyam. It’s called ‘Jai Ho – A. R. Rahman Live in Kozhikode’.
A. R. Rahman. The name speaks for itself. This is being his first A.R. Rahman concert ever after winning the two Oscars. It’s promised to be a mega musical magical event in the city. We are sure people would later say that they had a blast. Around 4 pm, we land in our hotel rooms to get fresh, and around 6 pm, we march towards the stadium.
The City Prepares for the A.R. Rahman Concert
Between 7 pm to 8 pm: While marching on the road, we notice how eagerly the city is waiting for the event. Throughout the entire city the hoardings and banners proclaiming the arrival of the Mozart of Madras are erected. Not even a single square is left without concert advertisements. Youngsters sporting T-shirts with an AR face and with ‘Jai Ho’ written on it reflect the excitement in the air. Concert is the only happening thing in the town. There are ticket counters in almost all the corners, and people are patiently waiting in the queues before the counters for their turn to come. The tickets are being sold in bunches till the last minute, making it a total sold out A.R. Rahman concert.
Well, I must tell you a thing. We 4 are not the only crazy fans here. Shortly as we arrive near the backstage gate of the Corporation stadium, fans from different geographical locations join us. Fans from Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore and few other cities are here. What more, we have international audience too. Some of our Sri Lankan friends are here. Now we are a big group comprising of around 30 fans. Some of us boast of having attended all the A.R. Rahman concerts that happened in India till now.
Behind the Scenes: A.R. Rahman Concert Rehearsals
As we reach near the stadium gate, the Malayalee policemen with big mustaches and huge tummies welcome us with warnings in their style. They are here to keep an eye on the happenings. Seeing the lathis in their hands, we are left with a lump in our throat. How to sneak in without being noticed by them is the question. Well, why to sneak in today, the concert is scheduled tomorrow, isn’t it? Yes it is. But the rehearsals are taking place tonight. And according to those who boast of having attended all the concerts till now, the rehearsals is the best part of the concerts. You get to see so many things and it’s really worth of it.
The Wait Outside the Stadium
Between 8 pm to 9 pm: We are still standing outside the stadium. A dashing friend amongst us had sneaked in for a moment, and while we were wondering how he could do that, we saw him walking out. He was thrown out with a warning. Oops! Two of our friends are part of the crew. We have high hopes that they’ll do something and we’ll be finally in. They have the ‘All Access’ passes with them, and therefore they are allowed to roam around anywhere. They come and meet us outside the stadium. What more, we come to know that they’ve been delegated the work of stopping the crowd from sneaking in. Some of us laugh out loudly to hear that!
Between 9 pm to 11 pm: A policeman notices the crowd is increasing, and they do their magic in their style. Some warnings in ‘sarkari’ voices, and bang! Most of the public disappears! Some of our group are at a loss of energy, and they excuse themselves to be able to catch on some rest. We are still waiting, with an obstinate smile on our faces. After all, we are the certified – stamped fans! Of course that doesn’t mean we want to ruin our name, or we want to trouble anybody over there. We are standing there just to show our love towards the man called A.R.Rahman!
Getting Inside for A.R. Rahman’s Rehearsal
Around 11 pm: We reach the gate huff-huffing. Our friends are waiting for us. We are warned in serious voices. ‘You are not allowed to use your cameras. If you dare, you’ll lose your cameras. And don’t try to speak to any singer, or anyone in the crew.’ Take these as the conditions. If you break any of them, you’ll be thrown out.
We are okay with the warnings. All of us have met the singers and the crew many a times here and there, and hence we don’t mind not using our cameras or not talking to the crew. What more, we are recognized by the singers and the crew, and thus we want to maintain the reputation that we have. None of us will be acting mad here.
Witnessing A.R. Rahman’s Rehearsal Magic
03 May 2009 Sharp 12 am: ‘Hey start, its already 12 o clock’. We hear a commanding voice, which is very much familiar to us. The boss is here, finally. All the pains of standing outside for like 5-6 hours disappear within a second. We take our chairs, about 20 rows from the stage. The visualizations rock to the core. They have a video display split into two, and the lights are throwing colors. The boss takes the lead. He takes the microphone in his hand, and throws his voice in it. ‘C-h-e-c-k!’
They start with Mausam & Escape. It sounds mind blowing. The guitarist and the sitarist are tuning their instruments, and they play something like classical music. That sounds wonderful. After that a number of songs are played. Unfortunately we can’t clap as we have to bear in mind we’re sitting in the rehearsals!
The boss himself checks the microphones, and asks to change some of them with ‘condensed’ microphones. Before the actual A.R. Rahman concert, he wants to make it sure that everything works perfectly fine. And he doesn’t delegate the work on somebody else’s shoulders. Instead he does it himself. At one point I saw him coming down the stage, bending over a bunch of wires and checking it out. He could easily have told someone else to do it. But no, he did it himself and this is what makes him the most successful music director of our times.
The Day of the A.R. Rahman Concert
Between 7.30 am to 12 pm: We want to roam around the city, and to check out the music stores in the city. Ignoring the heavy eyes, we decide to get ready. 2 more fans land in the city on the concert day, and join us. We go on hanging around the city, find some music stores, have our food, and meet up the rest of the fans group staying at another hotel. “What’s the plan guys, when are we reaching the stadium?” We ask. “Around 1.30 pm is fine. The gates are opening by 4.30. There will be a huge crowd, and we don’t want to split in small groups. Let’s go there as one group and let’s enjoy the evening together.”
Rushing to the A.R. Rahman Concert
Around 3 pm and after: Oops, it’s 3 pm already! We realize we’re late only after waking up! A few phone calls here and there; and we find out the rest of us are already in the queues. A friend says “Where are you guys? We’re already standing in the queue and it’s a massive maddening crowd here.”
We go crazy and start running to the stadium. All the roads are jam packed. We want a rickshaw to reach in time. We get one, and we all 5 ride the same towards the stadium. A friend has to sit on my lap! We shout in unison, ‘Jai Ho! Anything for Rahman’! And the rickshaw starts. Shortly, we join the other friends who’ve already been in the queue. Shortly, at around 4.30 the gates open, and we get inside. We take our seats and wait for AR to take us to another world.
Fan Experience at the A.R. Rahman Concert
Between 5 pm to 8 pm: The stadium is being filled. People are coming from all available directions. A friend comes with an idea of singing the humming portions from AR songs, and we execute it immediately. We sing Mustafa Mustafa, Hamma Hamma, Azeem O Shaan Shehenshah, Rukkumani, Veerappandi Kottaiyile, and many more songs. Looking at us the crowd goes berserk. Everyone joins us with the claps. We add more songs to our list. We sing O saya, Chhaiyya Chhaiyya, Masakkali, Roo Ba Roo, Ringa Ringa, Pappu Can’t Dance, Jai Ho and Vande mataram. The whole stadium shouts with us, and we shout out our lives singing dancing clapping and chanting! The energy level is at the peak. Everyone is waiting for AR to come.
The galleries are thoroughly in-and-out enjoying, and how? The crowd in the galleries create a catchphrase and shout it in unison with showing thumbs down to the crowd in the chairs. The catchphrase is ‘Ayiram Poye, Aiyyo Poye’ which is loosely translated as: You spend in thousands but we are having the real fun! The excitement caught on the peaks sooner, and the crowd started shouting Rahman, Rahman! Have you ever seen the whole stadium going mad? Don’t miss it in Pune.
The Main Event: A.R. Rahman Live in Kozhikode
Around 8 pm and thereafter…. The actual A.R. Rahman concert started off. Much has already been said about the performances, so I guess it won’t be required to set out the facts in extēnsō for the rest part of it. Rather, I would highlight certain positive and negative points together.
Sound Quality at the A.R. Rahman Concert
- Sayanora entered the stage and welcomed the audience in Malayalam. We could vaguely hear Shano Shano song playing in the background. Sayanora was clearly inaudible. And maybe therefore, her part was severely curtailed.
- A friend was, just before the start of the concert, asking me about our experience of the sound on the rehearsals night. ‘Get ready to enjoy the clear cut sound of the International standards’ I had said, based on my experience of the previous night. This was AR’s 1st live performance in Kerala, and the expectations were sky high following the win at the Oscars. As the concert starts, he began bugging me asking, ‘Is this a sound of an International quality?’ I didn’t know what to say.
- In O Saya and Athiradi, A.R. was hardly heard. Overall, the sound didn’t at all have the impact. The live sound wasn’t carrying beyond even half the distance from the stage. The rehearsals were far better than the concert itself. Frankly speaking fans were badly disappointed with the sound.
- I think A.R. is now officially considered India’s own sound, and we, his fans, see the world of music through his sound. So a special care should have been taken regarding the sound and other technical things. Due to the ineffective sound, the punch was missing. The songs in the starting merely sounded like a karaoke track.
Highlights and Performances at the A.R. Rahman Concert
- A few others amongst us who have attended A.R.’s other concerts, said that this happened for the first time. Someone pointed it out while we were wondering about the sound sitting there in the galleries, that this happens to be the first ever A.R. Rahman concert without H. Sridhar. We did miss him.
- There were 4 video display screens placed in the ground. They were too small considering a huge crowd between 50,000-80,000 people. What more; while the performances were on, the volunteers and others were running on and around the stage to arrange the props, and they were given a good coverage on the display screens!
- A.R. came on the stage singing “Malayalappaattu paadava?” on the tune of Padakaali, and the crowd got an idea of the next song. A huge roar was heard from all the corners of the stadium, and Padakaali started to become the greatest surprise for the local audience. George Peters and Benny Dayal took the lead, with maces in one hand and microphones in another. The scene stole the show. The song came as a great relief and became an elevated experience after a little pale start. This was the first A.R. Rahman concert where a full-fledged Malayalam song was performed.
- Sadhana Sargam took the audience in world of dreams by her fantastic singing. I think her singing was a little underrated in the other reviews of the concert, but she was one of those who saved the skin. Her rendition of Tu Muskura was far good. And ‘Wah Ji Wah Ji’ was better even than the original version in terms of pronunciation. Some of us did tell her about it when we met her later.
- Jiya se Jiya by A.R. sounded little like lip sync, but the drum thuds mingled with the people’s heartbeats and took the whole audience to another world. The visual presentation accompanying the songs, in particular this song, was a treat to the fans.
A.R. Rahman’s Unique Performance Style
- Throughout the concert, only A.R., Chitra, Hariharan and Sadhna were carrying the torch. The new crop is always there, but the local audience would certainly have liked more local singers like Yesudoss, M. G. Sreekumar, Sujatha, Swarnalatha, Unnimenon, Jeyachandran. We the hardcore fans sorely missed the nostalgic voices of these abovementioned singers, and in addition the likes of SPB, Srinivas, Sukhwinder to name a few.
- In all the previous concerts, we saw AR singing around 5 songs out of 35. This was perhaps the first A.R. Rahman concert where A.R. was not much on the stage when he wasn’t singing. We saw A.R. singing around 20 songs out of 30. He showcased more of his singing talents, and was seen less on the keyboards. Later we came to know that he didn’t play the keyboards because the platform on which it was placed was unstable! That is why Stephan Devassia was seen on the keyboards! Also, in Arziyan song, A.R. was singing in the chorus. Can you believe a world famous music director who can fill the stadiums on his name, simply joining the chorus? That’s AR!
- Suzanne Dmello did a decent job with Dreams on Fire and later on the Aye Bachchu song. Her opera singing was totally killing. Her voice was being felt like blades running on our throats. It was a terrific experience to hear it live.
Final Thoughts on the A.R Rahman Concert Experience
- We heard the media protested for the reason that they were not allowed to shoot anything during the rehearsals and the concert. Still, all the major newspapers in the city had provided a complimentary supplement dedicated to A.R. and his life – both, on the concert day, and its previous day. We fans were delighted that to see AR featuring in depth in the local newspapers and the magazines.
- The Slumdog hangover was evident. The whole concert was dominated by Slumdog songs. Almost all songs from SdM were performed. Even though this soundtrack has caught the attention of the entire world, this soundtrack isn’t so popular in the pockets of India. Therefore the response to the songs of SdM (except for Jai Ho) was lukewarm.
- Most of the songs were tracked; the strings section was missing, and while the singers were singing their songs on the stage, some volunteers did carry the microphones without switching them off, resulting into throwing their voices into the microphones and making it audible to the audience. This could have been avoided. I also missed the chorus, which plays a prominent part in many of the AR songs.
- Later when we met Mr. K. J. Singh – the man behind the sound, we came to know that the monitor – feedback system had tripped just before they were getting ready for the concert, resulting into the inadvertent delay in starting the concert. I think having an extra set should have made the things much easy.
- The security was extremely tight. Cameras, water bottles, mp3 recorders were not allowed, and that’s the reason we don’t see much videos of the concert. I think Frasad and the other guys from the gang were delegated the authority of depositing the cameras.
- The Mustafa, Urvasi, Taxi by A.R. and the ending was simply great. A.R. had got in a conversational mode, and he made the public sing ‘O, o, o, o’ in various styles. He got the crowd back to full fledged cheering. It was a sheer stunning magic to see the entire stadium waiving their mobile phones and sing along. The response from the crowd was euphoric, massive and astounding towards the ending.
The Magic of A.R. Rahman Concerts
A. R. Rahman proved it once again that he alone can fill the stadiums with his sheer musical talent. We all saw the sea of music lovers ignoring the bloody heat and humidity, standing in the queue as early as 1 pm, and sitting under the naked sun in the gallery stands for Rs. 500 or Rs. 1000 for more than 3 hours before the actual concert begins. Says a lot…
Post interval, the concert’s momentum had geared up and it was utterly rocking till its end. Overall, the show rocked to the core. I believe Kozhikode hasn’t seen anything like this ever. There were a few letdowns, however, we aren’t complaining. To put it in Swapnil’s words, we had a MIND BLASTING evening. 😉
I feel A.R. is a born performer. Even before entering in the film music world he used to perform. He should shun his shyness and should take his instruments out of the studio. The whole world is waiting to see him more, and more!
And Public khush, to sab khush! What more do we want?
Thank you A.R. saab, thanks to all the singers and the team members, thanks to Rapport Global and Deepak Gattani, thanks to Vithur and Nazeef, thanks to Farsad and Pavan Kumar, thanks to Gopal, Sirish, Shiva, Arun, Caran, Chetan, Rakesh Rajan, Girish, Gomzy, Radha, Ritika, Swapnil, Varun, Rakesh, Anand, Vinod, thanks to Kozhikode, thanks to Kerala, thanks to Oman Chandi, thanks to just everyone…..& to the God!
If you want to experience the same fun with better sound, watch out for Pune concert. See you all in Pune.. The TWS Rahmania team is eagerly waiting to join us – the fans there…!
Amith Chandran is a practicing advocate at the Supreme Court of India and an ardent music enthusiast who travels across the country for A.R. Rahman’s concerts.
FAQ About A.R. Rahman Concerts
Q: How long do A.R. Rahman concerts typically last?
A: A.R. Rahman concerts usually last 3-4 hours, featuring 30+ songs from his extensive repertoire.
Q: What makes A.R. Rahman concerts unique?
A: His concerts blend multiple languages, feature both established and new singers, incorporate visual effects, and showcase his personal involvement in every aspect of production.
Q: Are A.R. Rahman concerts worth attending?
A: Absolutely! Despite occasional technical issues, the musical experience, energy of the crowd, and A.R. Rahman’s personal connection with the audience make it a must-attend event for music lovers.
Q: How early should I arrive for an A.R. Rahman concert?
A: Based on this experience, arriving 3-4 hours before the gates open is recommended to secure good spots, especially for popular venues.
