gig review : Rock ‘N India 2011 featuring Metallica

This piece of article is not a review, but an experience. It’s the description of a dream I lived. All throughout the concert I was standing with folded hands, and was amazed at the way things were unfolding.

Along with that single visible star in the sky, there were (or seemed to be) more than fifty thousand beings who had gathered to watch thrash veterans Metallica headline this year’s Rock ‘N India at Palace Grounds, Bangalore on 30th of October, 2011. The event was brought to you by DNA Networks.

Metallica came, they saw, they erupted. By the time a few songs got over I was busy trying to get a clear glimpse of the legends. Trying to describe how tight Metallica played would amount to a criminal offence. Those of you who missed the concert just missed it. There is no other way it can be put. James Hetfield is still so freaking handsome that he can give all the current Hollywood actors a run for their money. Lars Ulrich cannot sit still on his throne, he just cannot, he is the most athletic in the band. Kirk Hammett with his goon-like appearance takes the cake, while Robert Trujillo is spot-on and dynamic.

Glitches that could be rectified -

1. The E-ticket redeeming counter wasn’t opened till it was dark. Does that mean all those people who booked tickets online (including the international fans) are jobless wanks? Online booking is done because it is easier sitting at home no matter which part of the globe you are from, and here we had fans standing in a static line for hours on end just to exchange a dumb piece of paper for a ticket. This window should have been open the entire day.

2. Security guards responsible for letting people into the concert need to keep their cool while doing their job. Agreed it is frustrating and you have to come across morons while you are working but then so are fans who paid a few thousand rupees and have been standing in the line for hours. Imagine the plight of those who booked their tickets online. They had to redeem their tickets and then behave themselves in the second line, so they had to fight the battle twice.

3. It is not only necessary but important to have a good band open for Metallica. Come on, it’s METALLICA. Only satan knows how Guillotine made it till here but the crowd told me this band from Delhi sucked so bad that it was more like an insult to watch them live. On a brighter note we had Inner Sanctum who got to play lesser songs but owned the crowd with their energy.

4. After the event got over instead of just removing the layer of black cloth that surrounded the entire venue, people were made to come out through small gaps in between which could have caused a potential stampede had this not been the Bangalore gig. Yea, you understood my point.

5. This was no ordinary event. It could have been made more spectacular by increasing the use of fireworks.

Those of you who weren’t present lost one chance to watch a lot of Metallica’s older classics. It makes no sense for me to explain how many people cried during Nothing Else Matters, how many were running around during Master of Puppets and how many pulled out their hair when they heard the first note on Seek & Destroy. It was just magical and the feeling hasn’t sunk in yet.

Here’s the setlist :

Creeping Death
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Fuel
Ride the Lightning
Fade to Black
Cyanide
The Memory Remains
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Sad But True
All Nightmare Long
One
Master of Puppets
Blackened
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman

Encore :

Am I Evil?
Battery
Seek & Destroy

But sweet news for each and everyone is that Metallica sent out positive vibes to the crowd and promised they would be back soon. Die-hard fans who missed the ill-fated Gurgaon concert should open their windows and breathe in fresh air now, after having inhaled some undying fart that killed it all. You are smart enough to get the pun there, aren’t you?

Always remember that there isn’t a bigger metal gig happening in India anytime soon because at the moment there isn’t a band bigger than Metallica on this planet. Achieving the level of fame a metal band named Metallica has, is impossible and it can never be duplicated.

All the dicks and cunts present at Palace Grounds left the venue satisfied. Or should I say the Metallica family felt the concert was totally worth the wait. Oh yeah!

[ Pictures - courtesy of metallica.com ]

Related articles :

Crucial 24 hours between the two Metallica concerts

Metallica live in India – an epic thrashfest

gig review : Mood Indigo Livewire 2010 featuring Katatonia

21-12-2010. Bombay, India.

When a thoroughly indulging drug like Katatonia is playing somewhere around, there should be no place for second thoughts. Wielding your soul with immensely enriching and mature music, Katatonia was a rightful pick by organizers at IIT Bombay to headline one of the biggest college events in India. This also shows that the understanding of IIT-ians and the rest of us does match at some level. And when Indus Creed, who regrouped this year after having called it quits in the late-nineties, were to open for Katatonia I did not want a delay for the proceedings to get underway as the evening looked all set.

But like always it was the initial fvckups that the organizers at IIT-ians are known for. They lure you, call you closer and kick you where you don’t want to be kicked. If there is anyone who has never attended a moodi event then you would have atleast heard as to how difficult it is to enter the venue. I, along with a group of friends made sure we were the first ones to enter anyhow. And still we managed to miss the first band Abraxas‘s performance. Well done, nerds. Entered and saw Abraxas packing up and Guillotine getting ready. They were followed by Purple Asparagus and Goddess Gagged. It had to be a tough call for the judges as it seemed a good day for all four of them.

katatonia.

The band that eventually stood higher up on the podium for winners was Abraxas (Pune) followed by Purple Asparagus (Kolkata) and Guillotine (Delhi). With the competition out of the way it was time for the Indian headliner Indus Creed. They are back with a lineup that includes a mix of old and new talent. Indus Creed as of today has Uday Benegal (vocals, guitars and programming), Mahesh Tinaikar (guitars, vocals), Zubin Balaporia (keyboards, vocals), Rushad Mistry (bass, vocals) and Jai Row Kavi (drums, vocals). They came and made quite a mark.

With most part of the crowd (including me) watching this band for the first time the season of rock they brought helped take our minds off Katatonia for a while. Sure they had quite a name during their initial phase in the late-nineties but a comeback is not always easy. Indus Creed has had a safe landing now too and only a very small crowd was seen going out during their set. They played for almost an hour with their list also including crowd favorites Pretty Child and Top of the Rock.  And then the lights were turned off.

katatonia.

A little about what Katatonia means to me and my existence. This band makes music like anyone else out there but very few have an emotional connect. Katatonia‘s music is all about mind, body and soul and they always introduce this human factor into their music. If they talk about ghosts they take you through it and if they are depressed you cannot be smiling. So how eagerly they were awaited can be figured out easily with all of that.

At this gig the term  ’moshpit’ (which I had overheard but thankfully did not happen) was used in the wrong sense and that too for Katatonia. Not adequate. Clearly showed that the crowd at IIT did not know what they are listening to and even why. But with the first few rows filled with the just described jumping crowd that can be found everywhere, the rest of us could take our positions at the right places. Five white figures dressed mostly in black took the stage at around eight thirty with their first song Day and Then the Shade ready to blast. I had somehow bagged a backstage entry and was hopping between the stage and sound console. A video from the gig I found on the video whoring site.

The tracklist shows this was the best they could do in the one and a half hours they graced the stage. They had played the same set at Stockholm, Sweden on fourth of December, and given the duration I had a feeling they would play the same here. I couldn’t get a grip over myself when I saw the same list unfold.

Day and Then the Shade
Liberation
My Twin
Onward Into Battle
The Longest Year
Soil’s Song
Omerta
Teargas
Saw You Down
Idle Blood
Ghost of the Sun
Evidence
Criminals
July

Encore :

For My Demons
Forsaker
Leaders

katatonia.

The gig sure came to an end but what was derived out of it has not. It won’t either. Sounding as if the voices were coming from someplace else, the performance was more of a complete experience and the pleasure derived was paramount. And with the sound also in place Katatonia lovers did not compromise on any aspect. Twenty first December, 2010 would be when I attended the best concert of my life. I had a heavier chest by the end of it and I salute Katatonia for existing in the first place. Jonas and troupe, we miss you. It’s fvcking hard to get over the fact that you guys have left. Come back soon!

[ mortal being behind the camera was Manasi Kale ]

Also Read :

Gig Review : GIR XIV 2010 (Pune leg)

Gig Review : Dinner is a Lie tour 2010 (Bombay leg) featuring Albatross, Devoid and Nervecell

Gig Review : Summer Storm Festival 2010 featuring Lamb of God

Gig Review : Deccan Rock Festival 2009 featuring Amon Amarth

Gig Review : GIR XIII 2009 (Bangalore leg)