Sunday, November 18, 2007

A R Rahman Live In New Delhi

That was last night and a totally explosive concert. This was Rahman ji's first concert in Delhi.
Sivamani, Hariharan, Chitra, Sadhna Sargam, Blaaze, Kailash Kher, Madhushree, Saumya Rau, Naresh Iyer, Rayhana, Ishrath, Tanvi, Sayonara, Mohd. Aslam, Aslam Khan from Jodhpur, Dr. Narayan. Quite a gang there. 50,000 people in the audience last night, and thankfully it was not too cold.
I sang Tere Bina with Rahman sir. Nothing like singing in front of the live audience. Quite clearly the it is one of the most popular songs and to play a small part in it feels good.
Happened to meet Saumya for the first time. She is one of the voices that I have always liked and now that we also share a song in Bheema it was good knowing her. Very simple, chilled-out girl and surprisingly speaks great tamil :)
The only downside there - the mosquitoes. I guess half a litre of blood would have been sucked out of me.

Its during shows like these that we get together and spend some time talking or generally jamming. And needless to say, the sense of humour that is present my default in almost all musicians, it just flows. Everything from make up to clothes it is equated to music and rhythm. Like for example, someone's eye shadow is slightly off from where it is supposed to be, Hariharan ji comes in and says, "konjam thalli.. 'thaka' thalli irukku, avlo dhan"(roughly translates to off beat). People who know what thaka and thakadhimi will know what I am talking about. But then most of the times humour is lost in translation and I guess in repetition as well.

And then there was Aslam Khan, who sang Rang De Basanti. The pitch of that song is uncomfortably high for most singers and the only one who can comfortably sing in that pitch except Daler Mehndi would be Rahman sir. And of course Rahman sir's songs no one can repeat. Aslam Khan came in after singing that song and says "someday that song is going to kill me". Chitra ji was her usual quiet self and so was Sadhna ji. Madhushree had sprained her leg before the show and she was on a cocktail of antibiotics and painkillers and once she was on stage all was forgotten. Of course when the adrenalin sank, she was in a daze. Naresh was his usual bubbly self with a lot of people going ga-ga about his hairstyle. Mohd Aslam is the stand up comedian, off stage of course, mimicking everyone under the sun.

Its a dreamy, magical world that I usually always want to be in. Sigh!

I am given to believe that this will be telecast in Star World soon. Will be posting the pictures as well. Only this time Rahman anna wasn't too keen on being photographed, so no pictures of him... sorry!

42 comments:

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

anonymous: Well I think they soon will. If you need the British to confer the title each time you say "Sir" I wonder how you called your teachers and professors and other people in authority. And by the way looks like you didn't get a name huh?

Shanmuga Raja said...

Damn.. i came into ur profile while searching for some stuff in wikipedia... how u really get this much time in life??? u host shows, business, sing and u blog too...how ur managing?? and whats the magic???

நாகை சிவா said...

Hari comment super :)

HaRi pRaSaD said...

Hi Chinmayi..
So looks like the concert was fabulous. One of my blog friends flew to Delhi for the concert and am waiting for his post on it. In fact he is an ardent fan of Rahman (Who isn't?!) and one of more of my blog buddies is crazy about Rahman and the song "Oru Deivam thantha poove". He has done a mix where both your voice and the male voice appear on the same song!

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

anonymous: well you can continue to be deluded if you want to.. and all that you have to do is check the comments from other posts... you ll prove yourself wrong. I have no intentions of publishing derogatory comments about the people I respect. And I really don't care much for anonymous criticism.

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

S.r.: no magic... yet!

SARAS said...

You are marvellous all the best for success in your upcoming projects

Tiger said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
My share of life said...

Hi Chinmayi!

Thanks a lot for the detailed blog :) Can' wait to see the pics!

Karthik Murali said...

oh gosh.....
i was expecting this post all day
the views directly from the singers mouth..
many of my friends went for the show , and they are still reeling under the brilliance and magic of it ..
I am delighted to read all about it here..
Btw pls let us know in ur blog or profile when it will be telecasted in Star World
Keep it up :)

Unknown said...

wow.. nice coverage of the whole show chinmayee... im dying to see the show.. pls post it on ur blog whens it gonna be telecast if possible..
ARR is a big icon in indian music industry..
and the mosquitoes sucking your blood must be very fortunate.. No surprise they must be singing to glory in their mosquito world.. hehe :)
Naresh Iyer has a cool chilled out hairstyle. Like his voice a lot ..
Good work chinmayee.. keep posting such nice posts for your fans...

Kalyan said...

coolll...but no arr pics :(

Chiroti said...

Hi Chinmayi,

I was there at the concert and you sang very well. We were all on a high listening to your song with ARR. Keep it up! Great show. I was expecting more numbers from you.

You forgot to mention about Neeti from Aasma who sang so many songs in the show. :-) I hope I got her name right....

All the best Chinmayi. Great review.

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

oops.. yup 3 songs were by her.. and quite a performer

Shalini Gowrisankar said...

Should have a been a lovely show..Waiting to watch it in the TV..

Anonymous said...

Hi Chinmayi,
thanks for sharing the interesting happennings in backstage.Can you please tell who were the sound crews?FOH engineer and monitoring engineer??

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing wonderful 'insider' views on your blogs. Enjoyed reading/seeing them. Are you guys planning to team up with any of the famous bands such as U2 or Cure? - Justin T/US

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

justin: I have no idea!
anonymous: will let you know

Vijay Krishnan said...

what about the bollywood awards it must have completed by now right. you were one amongst the best nominees. What happened?

தமிழனின் கனவுகள் said...

hi chinmayee..great to be a part of the living legent rahmans concert...and i misss ur singapore prog details..i hardly remember 2nd dec date only..pls tell me the location..and any tickets is there mns where we can buy...send the details..urgent...

தமிழனின் கனவுகள் said...

calling the great ppl as sir is not a mistake........so go ahead...

Unknown said...

Hi Chinmayi its good to know that you've again been in a concert..well..enjoy!then just a request,though you're busy with stuff please find atleast some time to blog frequently 'cause nowadays there seems to be such a big gap b/w your blogs..i really missed your regular writings these days..waiting for your next update ..

Sudha said...

So searching here and there i have landed myself in a singer's blog.That was a nice post .Keep sharing and keep enjoying singing!!!

SHEETAL AMBAR said...

Heya Gal ,
Looks like U had loads of fun !!
Cant wait for ur show here !! :P
Its so cool How Madhushree performed with a sprained ankle ! Thats what a real performer is made of !! :D

Explorer said...

hi Chin,
That was great to her. Wanted to chk from you abt this. There are many wonderful conpositions that u must be singing. How do you control your emotions while singing them? The lyrics, the raga and tune itself, aim at infusing so much emotion into the song that, it becomes v tuf for me to sing many songs, as I get choked with emotion. How does a profesional singer handle this?

Cheers !

Ananth said...

Aah......and we were all wondering where you were all these days...must have been one helluva experience....and when the feel-good factor chips in backstage,along with mind-blowing performances on-stage...it's a complete package of a successful tour!!! I have a question - How do singers concentrate on their pitch and rhythm if the audience is very loud (although the music keeps you in rhythm)...what are the chances of singers being thrown off-track?

Manivannan said...

Waiting for the snaps ..Of course disappointed to know that thalaivar's snap is not there :(

sathish said...

Can you do us all a favour and drop a note on your blog when you come to know the telecast times for the Rahman concert? Please??

~BaBySHReya94 Luv a R RaHMaN~ said...

hi Chinmayi akka..how r u??Wow,thx for the info's..I wish i cud be there..I think u shud have given the mosquitoes autograph,then they will not suck even 1 drop of your blood..i m sad bcoz there is no sir's pics..will they show it on star world??if you have any info,pls inform me..thx..

Anonymous said...

My senior friend Anand & I at (L&T Mumbai) are music lovers ; with emphasis on the classical.. shaastriya element. We are new additions to the roster of your fans. Your part in Tere bina was mellifluous. Never knew you had a blog. Its as good as your music. Some talented, gifted young lass that you are.

I am persuaded to disagree with your views on Delhi mosquitos. They are babies compare to their Chennai counterparts. Nobody can come close to Singaara Chennai's mosquitos. They can put to shame the French Cobra attack helicopters.

Keep writing,

Shankar Aiyar
L&T Mumbai

whAt A LiFe said...

Wow, can't wait to watch the show on tv. Looking forward to the pics also. Tks for sharing chinmayi...

: )

Sreekrishnan said...

any chances of cencerts in chennai ? Are you doinf any kutcheri this margazhi ?

Unknown said...

hello can u plz give me some info...
do u have any idea if der is any AR's concert in december in chennai...

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

Shankar aiyar: well that day was pure torture :)
sreekrishnannv: not here, but abroad :)

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

rajesh: not that I know of :)

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I read most of your blogs and was kinda addicted then. But these days, i find your blogs more like an add on to the TV programmes index in teh dailies with more details.

They are really good but still look forward for chinmayi's forte. about sundry things in a wowieeee language.

~BaBySHReya94 Luv a R RaHMaN~ said...

hi chinmayee akka..juz wanted to know,will there be any concert in malaysia as i dreamt arrahman sir is coming to malaysia on his birthday!!

Anonymous said...

I saw the concert retelecast yesterday in television. You voise is fabulous, and the song with ar rahman great. first time seeing ar rahman jumping and getting childish in the stage.

Raghu Kasturi said...

Hi Chinmayee,

Excellent job, keep it up !


Best Ragards,
Raghu

matthew88 said...

Here is the video with "Tere Bina".
seriously awesome stuff :))
Pls. share with other fans.

http://www.desivideos.tv/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27535&Itemid=174

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

fishy.. I ll try .. havent had the time to sit down and write much. Guess my blog just reflects a more routine life style, now, but I ll work on it buddy..
Habee94: :) Well I dont know if your dream is coming true..
anonymous: thanks..:)
thanks raghu
thanks pradeepan
and anonymous whose comment is not published here, sorry you gotta choose some other letters as initials, dont sully them with your crap. and I care a hoot for your opinion..

Unknown said...

Hi Chinmayi

I am dharmeehan from Kuwait.(native Jaffna)
yesterday only I watched the delhi concert from net. its awesome...
your performance is great, specially with ARR.
your blog going nice.
thank for sharing experience, specially with ARR, cos I am an ARR's fan. :-)
All the best.