Editorial

2012 – The Year that was in Pop Music

The comprehensive listing of all the concerts in 2012

If you had told me in the beginning of the year that pop was going to hit India like it did, I would have told you to find something new to smoke. But now, I would probably want to borrow whatever inspiration struck you as this year has been a mighty one. If the industry settles and decides not to have show-after-show, the year 2012 will stand a benchmark so to say, “Man, that was a year!”

And boy, did we have an enthusiastic one. You would think that with the sheer number of acts hitting the country that people would run out of dough to buy the hefty passes but no. They didn’t. They got more enthusiastic and if possible, richer!

It all started for me with David Guetta. I was always a fan of Guetta, following him like a good Wolf-Pack member and obviously when news spread that he was coming into town, I had to find myself a contest that would give me a pass. And that I did, meeting Guetta backstage et all. It was a mind-blowing experience. Guetta got up onto the console and jumped as the sea of a crowd knew every word. It was incredible. I went home that day feeling that I had attended the concert of a lifetime only to find myself checking when the next acts were arriving in my lovely city. And there they were, the many MANY acts coming down.

Following the Guetta head rush were a bunch of metal acts that I didn’t find myself drawn to. The occasional Kailash Kher would troop in and though a fan of his voice, I again didn’t find myself too interested. The interest flared again when I found out that Enrique Iglesias was in our side of the globe. Returning after his Anna Kournikova hand-holding at the last concert, Enrique sought out his loving fans to see if they had taken to the techno spin his music has started to take. Long gone was the Latin flavour, though the concert did see him play some of his older hits. Another success our city witnessed.

Following him was when the pop meter went soaring, though kicking off with an act that had the entire city waiting. The GOD of the guitar, Santana took the stage with a crowd so mixed; it made your head spin. Oldies and younglings gathered together to swoon to Santana strum as his wife tore up the drums. But following that hit of a concert was an act that didn’t do as well. Though he has an ardent fan following, not many came out to see Sean Paul in action.Having grown up grooving to his music, it was a little hard not to admit that I wanted to listen to him live. But as many said, it would have helped if you managed to rope in a beau: the music was not something that could be enjoyed with a group.

What was enjoyable as a group was Above and Beyond. A concert that had its fans waiting eagerly, it didn’t disappoint, being called a concert that was one big, long party! Dancing and drinking, this was like Guetta reloaded. Which brings us to the curiosity generating Simple Plan.  Expected at Mood Indigo this weekend, the concert is rumoured to be quite a bust in the making. But it has opened up the idea that smaller acts could come down to India and be successful. As demonstrated eloquently at the NH7 Weekender.   So here is hoping to an awesome year of pop followed up by another. Provided we all survive the Norah Jones.