A.R. Rahman Reviewer Jessica Nicholas September 12, 2005
Colourful concert: The Bollywood extravaganza cast onstage at the Rod Laver Arena on Saturday night. From left, Chitra, Sadhana Sargam, Alma, Madhushree, Alka Yagnik, Kailash Kher, A.R. Rahman, Shankar Mahadevan, Hariharan and Blaaze sing the concert finale. Colourful concert: The Bollywood extravaganza cast onstage at the Rod Laver Arena on Saturday night. From left, Chitra, Sadhana Sargam, Alma, Madhushree, Alka Yagnik, Kailash Kher, A.R. Rahman, Shankar Mahadevan, Hariharan and Blaaze sing the concert finale. Photo: John Kumar Rod Laver Arena, September 10 Milling outside the Rod Laver Arena before A. R. Rahman's show on Saturday, I felt like a rather drab moth surrounded by butterflies. Richly coloured saris, embroidered kurtas and sequinned scarves floated around me, as an audience of mainly Indian expatriates gathered in anticipation of this first Australian concert by one of the biggest names in Bollywood. Inside, the atmosphere was reminiscent of a rock concert - the stage adorned with musical instruments, giant screens and floodlit fabric panels, and more than 9000 fans erupting at the sight of 39-year-old Allah Rakha Rahman taking the microphone. As Rahman modestly confessed to the audience, he is not a born showman. A film composer whose success has thrust him into the spotlight, he is more accustomed to creating music in his high-tech studio in Chennai than performing it live in front of a roaring crowd. But there was something very endearing about watching this slightly reticent individual absorb the energy of the stadium and give it back so generously over the next four hours. AdvertisementAdvertisement Yes, four hours, with no interval. Apparently Rahman was so inspired by the ecstatic audience that he actually wanted to play longer, but was constrained by venue protocol. So he had to content himself with performing 40 of his best-loved compositions, almost all of which were written for Bollywood films. Not all film music thrives in a concert setting. But Rahman's music - like Bollywood cinema - has a joyous, larger-than-life impact. And the composer, who also sings and plays keyboards, certainly knows how to put on a show. His "Third Dimension" tour has pulsing, floor-shaking rhythms; acoustic strings and folk instruments alongside banks of digital devices; a parade of superb Bollywood singers performing the songs that made them famous; twirling dancers and giant masked figures; and a series of animated 3-D images (which we watched with 3-D glasses) projected onto a screen. As a non-Indian familiar with only a handful of Bollywood songs, I did find four hours a bit of a stretch. Nevertheless, it was impossible not to be awed by the seemingly endless stamina - and diversity - of the performers. But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this hugely entertaining show is that it was presented by a fledgling, volunteer-run organisation, Charities through Indian Arts in Australia, whose directors undertook this mammoth tour at great personal and professional risk. As for the music itself, Rahman's wonderfully imaginative approach to film composition - incorporating ideas from contemporary popular music as well as classical Indian and European traditions - has created a fascinating hybrid and, for millions of fans (among whom I now count myself), opened up a whole new musical world. http://www.theage.com.au/news/reviews/ar-rahman/2005/09/11/1126377200142.html?oneclick=true "We neglect our cities at our peril. For, in neglecting them, we neglect the nation." -John F. Kennedy ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Life without art & music? Keep the arts alive today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/iuUuID/dnQLAA/n1hLAA/iyUplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Explore, Experience, Enjoy A.R.Rahman - The Man, The Music, The Magic. Only at arrahmanfans.com - The definitive A.R.Rahman e-community. Homepage: http://www.arrahmanfans.com Admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrahmanfans/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
