On March 13, music lovers of Bangladesh lined outside the Bangabandhu National Stadium for watching the live performance of music maestro AR Rahman. After a lengthy wait which seemed to stretch on forever and of course harassment at the gate from the organisers that entailed confiscating makeup products and hairbrushes, the crowd was finally allowed into the stadium one by one.
But the wait for the show to start went on till 4:50pm when Arnob and Friends finally took to the stage and performed three songs as only 10 minutes were allocated for their performance. Shobbhota, Palki and Hridi accompanied Arnob on stage. There was hardly any response from the crowd and it was quite a sad occasion when the beloved singer and his group left the stage without receiving applause from the audience who usually go berserk when Arnob performs.
The tempo started to pick up with Souls’ performance, their celebrated song Mon Shudhu Mon Chuyeche received audience appreciation, which was followed by their tracks Chayer Cupe and of course Nishongota.
Next, Ayub Bachchu with his band LRB performed their songs Rakhe Allah Maare Ke, Ural Debo Akashe, Bangladesh and others. There was a familiar buzz and excitement spreading in the galleries as the crowd started to settle down and finally enjoy the show. At one point when the enthusiasm among the crowd was dwindling, Ayub Bachchu sensing the mood thanked the audience for listening to Bangla songs. Although 10 minutes were allocated for each band, LRB stayed onstage for almost 30 minutes.
After the break for Maghrib prayer, the show resumed with the Chhayanaut Sangskritik Songothon rendering the National anthem attired in traditional avatar, which was followed by the BCB welcome song by Konal and Fuad. Warda Rihab’s dance troupe accompanied the singers onstage with their dazzling performance. It was a celebration to say the least. After a video presentation portraying the history and rise of the Bangladesh cricket team, Nazmul Hasan MP, chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board delivered his opening speech. State Minister Shri Biren Sikder, Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith and finally, the Prime Minister delivered their speeches respectively.
By this time, the expectant crowd was on the edge and after a video presentation with the patriotic song Joi Bangla, the star of the concert, celebrated musician AR Rahman finally graced the audience with his presence.
The response of the crowd was monumental and Rahman took the stage by storm with his upbeat track Faana. One of the fascinating part of the show was the stage backdrop that was LED screens incorporated with 3D animation which kept on showing one brilliant backdrop after another and also videos of AR Rahman. After Chale Chalo and Tumtak, Udit Narayan appeared onstage surprising the audience and spread a harmonious feel among the mass with his melodious voice rendering the celebrated song from the movie Laagan called Mitwa. Other Indian artistes at the programme included Niti Mohan, Sweta Pundith, Shivamani and Javed Ali. Niti Mohan’s performance was quite outstanding, from her costume to her melodious voice and her apparent good look, she was an instant hit with the crowd. Waving various coloured light sticks which were handed out by the organisers at the entrance, the audience expressed their enjoyment and enthusiasm.
Next, the versatile music maestro gave another completely different performance with his Sufi tracks with the stage backdrop adapting to the mood of the music. Rahman was playing the harmonium while his troupe was engaged in playing the other necessary instruments for the serene music.
AR Rahman and his entire group of accompanying artistes kept the audience on their feet with one hit track after another including Radha Kaise Na Jale, Maahi Ve, Naadan Parinde and the bonanza ended with the famous song Jai Ho which earned him an Oscar.
The range of variety in performance presented by the “the Mozart of Madras,” a title earned for his body of work was truly remarkable. All the songs had dancers and performers along with video presentations on the backdrop. With costumes that lit up and attractive performances of the renowned singers, the AR Rahman concert will certainly be a hard act to follow.
After Rahman’s performance Senegalese-American R&B and hip hop icon Akon rocked the stage with his popular tracks as the interactive backdrop showed spirals of colours matching the mood of the crowd and the beat of the hip hop tracks. Akon has skills of a master entertainer and had the crowd hooked with his upbeat songs and urged the audience to participate.
Celebrated Bangladeshi singers Sabina Yasmin, Kumar Biswajit, Momtaz and Runa Laila’s performances were saved for the last part of the event. Other Bangladeshi artistes including Kona, Pantho Kanai and Elita performed in the concluding song of the ceremony which was a colourful array of performances.
Throughout the duration of the event, a beautiful and eye catching light show was being projected on a twenty storied building close to the stadium. Another spectacle worth mentioning was the incredible fireworks display that always wows the crowd and works as a mood lifter. In the BCB concert, fireworks were displayed twice, once after the Prime Minister declared the T20 World Cup officially open and at the very end of the programme. The host of the evening was Nusrat Faria, who is also a popular radio jockey.