EO Studio: Live music is still alive

Sajjad Ali, Ali Azmat and Meesha Shafi among others performed live at the fundraiser held at Mohatta Palace .

KARACHI:

Music concerts are a dying feat in Pakistan. Very few musicians get shows on a regular basis and very fewer organisers get security clearance to open them up for bigger crowds. As a result of which the fans and followers don’t get to enjoy the groove of a live show.

Though the deteriorating security situation has dented the primary form of income for musicians’ big time but still, the picture is not as bleak – at least for the musicians. That is because there are still a handful of corporate shows that take place for a selected audience, helping the artistes run their kitchen, as they try waking up a suited, snoring crowd.

A grand and elaborate live fundraising performance was recently organised by EO Studio at Mohatta Palace.  Clad in strobe lights, the beautiful heritage building served as the perfect background for a stage that celebrated the variety of tunes this soil has to offer. Be it the timeless Chori Chori or the much venerated Shakar Wandhan Rae, the celebratory Washmallay or a good old Junoon classic, it all lead to a well amalgamated mix of Pakistani music.

As the songs suggest, the line up of the show included Asrar, Komal Rizvi, Sajjad Ali, Meesha Shafi and Ali Azmat respectively accompanied by an 18 piece orchestra.

Anoushey Ashraf, one of the most seasoned VJ’s in the industry was the host for night and after failing to wake up the crowd by quite a few motivational phrases, she called Asrar ion stage. The Sab Aakho Ali fame’s short performance of about three songs suffered at large due to bad sound quality and just when it improved, Komal Rizvi came on the stage. That was perhaps the saddest part of the night and also the moment when the crowd decided to fill their plates just a little more because they weren’t missing anything significant.

After presenting an even shallower version of Washmallay, she sang Adele’s Someone Like You just like a nightingale who’s trapped in a cage and is calling out for help. Help and respite was indeed what the crowd needed from her playlist, which was ironically longer than Asrar’s.

Next came the living legend who, Zoe Viccaji likes to call, “The Michael Jackson of Pakistan”. Yes, we are talking about the guy whose claim to fame was an album titled Babia 93 and who keeps on giving us hope for the music industry with brand new milestones like Har Zulm.

Sajjad was accompanied by his long time partner on the strings, guitar virtuoso Faraz Anwar and what followed after that was sheer wizardry.

He is easily the best live performer in Pakistan; only a maestro like him can lift a sleeping crowd that too with a bunch of slow, mellow numbers.  His performance started with his Coke Studio classic Tum Naraz Ho, which served the perfect background score for the odd chilly evening in Karachi and the performance ended with a rock and roll version of Sohni Lagdi.

Har Zulm and Chal Rein De were the crowd favourites too and Sajjad sang a few melodious lines from Paaniyon Mae on public demand.

Following Sajjad, Meesha Shafi who despite having a solid synchronization with the orchestra and the voice throw that is required for a live performance didn’t get much notice. It was a bad choice to line her up after a legend.

Finally Ali Azmat took to the stage and showed the crowd why he is the best rock vocalist in Pakistan and Junoon made unforgettable music. He started with his signature concert starting track Maula from the film Jism 2 and then his music grew onto the crowd until they realised that its midnight and the venue has timing restrictions. Garaj Baras followed Pappu Yaar and then after joking about people going to sleep early on a weekend, Azmat performed a power-packed Neend aati Nahin.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd,  2015.

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