My account of the Zeb and Haniya Lahori Blues Concert

Lahori Blues Concert Today I went to Lahori Blues concert at Ravindra Bharathi Stadium where I saw Zeb and Haniya perform live in Hyderabad for the first time. The 60 minute concert was part of The Hindu Friday Review November Fest 2011. I've loved Zeb and Haniya ever since I was introduced to their music through Coke Studio Pakistan and their recent collaboration with Shantanu Moitra and Swanand Kirkire, 'Kya Khayaal Hai' was nothing short of magnificent. I was listening to Paimona at about 12:30 in the morning today and it suddenly struck me that I hadn't 'liked' Zeb and Haniya on facebook yet. This was obviously unacceptable and I did the needful instantly. I was going through their wallposts and found to my delightful surprise that they were playing at Ravindra Bharathi today at 7:30 P.M. I raced to indianstage.in and tried booking the tickets and was utterly distraught at the knowledge that all the tickets were sold out. I also tried the Hindu website and was starting to become very downcast when I noticed the availability of a 'Season Pass' for the November fest in indianstage.in. I was elated for a moment but confused immediately afterwards because the information about the season pass was far from clear and I wasn't sure if it would get me into the Lahori Blues gig. I took a chance anyway (thanks to some well-timed support from Abhipsa) and booked the pass immediately. I woke up in the morning today and called The Hindu's office immediately and asked them about the season pass. The information I got lifted my spirits greatly and I was informed that I was entitled to attend the concert today and that I just needed to reach slightly early to pick up the pass and get a decent seat. I reached the venue at about 6:33 P.M and swapped my e-ticket for a season pass and then sat alone watching the incoming crowd as we all waited to be allowed into the staidum. The crowd comprised mostly students and groups of young people, but to my surprise there were also quite a few elders present in the mix. Logistical issues such as handling of ticket counters and parking was well done and people started entering the stadium at about 7:10 P.M. I brandished my pass at the guy in-charge and was ushered into the season pass section. I've never been to the Ravindra Bharathi Stadium so upon entering it I found that it was a little too small. My section barely encompassed a few rows of seats and the person present told me that I was free to sit anywhere I pleased. I looked around and selected an aisle seat at a mid-point and I deluded myself into believing that this was acoustically the best seat in the house. A small projector screen was set up in front of the curtains on the stage and a series of ads by the sponsors started playing repeatedly. The Bose ads were the best, but, after watching the ads on loop several times over I was just about ready to start shouting for the band to perform. Just then the projector was turned off and the screen was quickly disassembled and an official looking lady manned a microphone in one corner of the auditorium and started giving us some background information about the November Fest and also Zeb and Haniya. The audience patiently sat through a lot of what they already knew. By this time the auditorium was almost full and some late stragglers were edging their way into any free seats they could find. A very excitable girl and a couple of her friends had found their way next to me and were jabbering away continuously. I sighed a little too loudly but no hints found their way home and the status quo continued. Finally I heard the lady say, "Without further adieu" (there was PLENTY of adieu) and the curtains opened and we saw Zeb, Haniya, a lead guitarist, a bassist, a drummer and a flautist standing amidst a very tastefully decorated stage. That's when the night took a turn for the awesome. Zeb looked gorgeous and within seconds the ensemble launched into the first song, 'Chup'. The initial impressions of the ensemble were excellent. The whole setup had a very tight feel to it and it was very well done. Zeb sounded perfect live and Haniya played magnificently alongside the other musicians. The presence of the flautist was an added bonus as he brought a completely different tone of musicality to the whole gig. Since the concert was to be wrapped up in a matter of 60 minutes the whole thing felt slightly rushed but the audience didn't really mind listening to the songs being belted one after another in quick succession. The setlist comprised a variety of songs covering a lot of moods and influences. It was an experience in and of itself listening to 'The night song', a melancholy tribute to lonely nights, one moment and in the next listening to 'Rona chhod diya', an upbeat, fast, optimistic, and carefree number celebrating new beginnings. The setlist also showcased a few unreleased songs and the judging by the response of the audience, those songs are well on their way to being a hit themselves. They covered all their classic numbers including, 'Chup', 'Chal diye', 'Rona chhod diya', 'Paimona' (twice) and 'Bibi Sanem'. They also performed a couple of covers that included a fast Turkish number. Some incredible moments included long guitar and flute solos in the middle of songs and also a fantastic percussion part in the rendition of 'Bibi Sanem'. I would have loved if they did 'Kya khayaal hai' but as Zeb pointed out, the song would have sounded right only if Shantanu and Swanand were present as well. Musically speaking, the Lahori Blues gig was one of the best that I have ever had the privilege of attending. The quality of sound was fantastic (small wonder since the title sponsor was Bose) and the whole performance was extremely professional and well done and ended with the audience on their feet clapping and hooting earnestly. I found Zeb to be an extremely charming person who had excellent stage presence. Her voice never slipped up during the 60 minutes and handled the big numbers with just as much finesse as the smaller ones. She worked within the constraints of time and never failed to talk to the audience about the music as much as possible. Her tone was very amiable and it was very insightful listening to her talk about her influences and what the songs represented. Haniya did not speak much, but when she did, I found her to be very witty and she had a wonderful voice when she sang. I would love to hear voice more often in the songs. She is an excellent guitarist and breezed through the setlist. The rest of the musicians were extremely adept as well. The lead guitarist was masterful during the solos and that led to a couple of funny moments when he was engrossed in playing a solo and Zeb mistakenly started singing thinking that he had finished his part. The whole thing didn't feel rigid at all and it was a joy to be present at the event. There were a couple of other instances to note too. Remember the excitable girl that I mentioned? Well apparently her way of expressing her appreciation was in making the weirdest noises possible. As a result I had to sit through the concert listening to, 'Oooooo', 'Whooooooo', 'Yeyyyyyyy', 'Whoaaaaaaaa', and 'Auuuuuu' among other things. I wish people would just freaking clap when they like something... There was also another hilarious moment that occurred right before 'Chal Diye' was played. Haniya was giving the audience the background of the song and talking about the inspiration of the song which was Islamabad. Describing the city she said, "Islamabad is a small city, calm, peaceful and green..." and somebody behind me said, "Haan, bomb phat ne se pehle sab calm and peaceful hi rehta hai". I almost laughed out aloud but I managed to stifle my laughter. I know it's politically incorrect but in the moment it was extremely funny. The concert represented a series of firsts for me. It was the first time I was attending a concert by female artists, the first time I was witnessing a concert that didn't belong to the rock/metal genre, and the first time I attended a concert alone. Everything worked out perfectly though and I'm glad I made it to the concert. It was a surreal experience sitting in the audience and listening to Zeb and Haniya in their element. I have no qualms in recommending them to everyone and will urge people in Delhi to go to their concert happening in Purana Quila on the 2nd of December. Go! You will love it! Their music represents the best of an eclectic fusion of music and their compositions are extremely heart warming and connect with your soul. I hope you find as much happiness in them as I do :)