Strings, Shamoon and a Saturday night for broken hearts

While Salt Arts must be lauded for healing disappointed fans, Shamoon continued his streak of being a sloppy live act

KARACHI: As the hot and humid climate of Karachi starts to set in once again, Saturday nights and live music seem to be an ideal match for the city.

On Saturday night, we made our way to the Beach Luxury hotel for a concert showcase aptly titled Nakaam Ishq Ke Naam featuring Strings and Shamoon Ismail. Thankfully we didn’t leave the venue as heartbroken. It was more like a balm on our bruises.

The arrangements seemed better than what most concert setups here have to offer, that too with a manageable crowd that wasn’t overwhelming as many would’ve expected given the Super Salt 2019 crowd debacle. The organisers made sure to routinely remind concert-goers to be on their best behavior, which is always appreciated given that it takes a moment for the crowd to go wild and venture into unsafe behavior (hint: Solis Islamabad).

https://www.instagram.com/p/B84hJMen5Ax/

Shamoon Ismail opened the show in his typical fashion - lots of jiving on stage and holding out his mic for the audience to pitch in. As many gen-z music lovers would like to believe, Shamoon seems to have made listening to Punjabi songs ‘cool’ again. With his audience overwhelmingly comprised of young men and women who turn out in troves to listen to his songs live, there’s some credit owed to him for managing to carve out a niche audience for Punjabi blues.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8ox1u8H6rh/

It’s been long since a local up and coming musician has managed to bring together crowds in the way he does – it’s almost faintly reminiscent of the early 2000’s crop of musicians.

However, despite all that and more, there’s one glaring fact that’s on display at almost all his live shows and at this point, is probably an accepted feature within his fan-base – the boy cannot sing live. He has an innate stage presence, that’s for sure, but not enough to mask the fact that his live singing is akin to a fan singing karaoke.

The fans may have taken the red pill but Shamoon has found a way around it. A major chunk of his live set is him getting the crowd to sing back at him, while he moves around the stage engaging them. Pretty ingenious, we have to admit.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B84jXpBjAoh/

By the time Strings came up, the crowd, now made up of young and not-so-young alike, was sufficiently pumped and ready for the next two hours. And as Strings have done it for so long, they managed to keep them on their toes for the majority of the set. From Najanay Kyun and Sajni to Mera Bichraa Yaar and Hai Koi Hum Jesa, Strings know what their audience wants and make sure to deliver just that and the moment they falter, the crowd makes sure to remind them what they want in the form of loud chants.

Shamoon also made an appearance for Strings’ set, lending his vocals for their performance of Najanay Kyun. While many took to social media to share the ‘Shamoon x Strings’ moment, it was almost unanimously agreed that his attempt, while appreciated, was unneeded. Getting Ahmed Jehanzeb to feature in a Strings songs is completely different than offering a similar to Shamoon. Perhaps Strings also realised it, or at least that’s what the carefully masked baffled expression on Faisal Kapadia’s face said.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B84dfV4HqDl/

Marking 30 years in the industry, Strings’ recent live performances have followed much the same pattern. Not that we’re complaining, but if you’ve seen them live once during their current era, you can skip the next show they put on without missing much. Except maybe a botched pyrotechnic show which results in a small fire on the stage making them halt the show (of course a mishap is excusable but the safety of performers and the crowd that was dangerously close to the stage should be paramount.)

Nevertheless, here’s to hoping that more such shows are organised for the young, entertainment-hungry crowd – a revival of concert culture is much needed so props to Salt Arts for relentlessly working towards that goal. Kudos to the team and here’s wishing it gets even better as we go.

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below