Reaching the concert turned out to be a breeze. Though this was not the case for most of the 16,000 people that showed up at ‘Sunburn Arena’ @ Bharatiya City in Thanisandra, Bangalore, my friend Jyo and I had an easy time getting there; and by rickshaw no less. We reached and got out one e-ticket that we had and noticed something odd, the line for the e-ticket was short with multiple counters while the voucher exchange was long with scant counters. That should have been my first clue to exactly how Percept organises an event. The tickets, for those of you who missed out, could have been exchanged at a local Barista for a pass, a pass that one would think, would get you into the concert. But no, that pass had to be further exchanged for a band. And only then could you enter.
Amused, we made our way with the crowd toward the concert. While I looked around for someone from Percept, the contact number given to me wasn’t being answered (Please note: this contact was the reason we were at the venue at 5pm instead of 7 30 and the reason I stayed sober) my friend spotted a guy with a walkie-talkie who was more than happy to inform me that while he knew I was there to cover the event, he could not help me find the press entrance. I decided to enter on a pass that a friend of mine happened to have. The only lucky moment of the evening.
But all shortcomings melted away when SHM took to the stage. The booming of Greyhound filled the air as the crowd began to jump in unison. The last time I witnessed a crowd go up in a storm in such unison was at the Guetta concert. And that was nothing on this. The stage. The sheer magnanimity of the stage: SHM was placed in the middle of a podium that had a projective front and with the screen at the back, it looked as though they hovered in mid-air. And the sound system was the cream; the effects, insane. The boom and bass carried all the way to the back of the grounds, where people were milling to grab a drink. I was in line till the opening beats of One, after that I don’t remember going back. But nothing could have been better than the lights. The stage seemed to come to life. The three circles looming in and out with the music, the crowd seemed mesmerised. From shooting fire to smoke, the stage had it all, timed to perfection.
And the band just sealed the deal, not one moment were they off pace. They played two hours straight, song after song making the crowd scream for more. Interspersed beautifully, there were popular tunes mixed with others, the crowd taking in every moment. The crowd chanted Don’t you worry child word-to-word pumping the trio up. And they were no less. Jumping up on the podium and screaming out to the crowd, profanity filled the air as the insane stage came to life again with bursts of fire and smoke, all surrounding a sweaty and grinning Sebastian, Axwell and Steve. They closed the show with a drawn out Save the world as the crowd screamed for more. A slow Don’t you worry child chimed as the crowd trooped out with mixed feeling, knowing that this was the last time SHM would take the stage in this part of the globe. The concert of a lifetime and something that the world will surely miss when the band officially splits, 21st was an epic night; one that is not going to be soon forgotten!
