Review: After long absence, Adnan Sami proves he can still get a crowd on its feet during Dubai gig

The biggest crowd-pleasers didn’t come up until the second half of the show, and included Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein, which had the whole audience singing along.

Adnan Sami Khan performs at Dubai World Trade Centre. Ravindranath K / The National
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Adnan Sami Khan, the singer and musician best known for his Bollywood hits as well several best-selling solo albums, returned to Dubai after nine years for a live performance on June 3 at Dubai World Trade Centre.

Though the concert started at 10pm, Khan’s much-awaited appearance was preceded by a series of local singers showcasing their talent. Sami made his entry about 40 minutes in and had the crowd’s attention from the get-go.

He opened with Mehbooba Mehbooba from the 2001 Bollywood film Ajnabee. The 12-minute long power-packed rendition reminded the audience exactly what they had been missing all these years. Next were some of his other hits such as Teri Yaad, Meri Yaad Rakhna, and Teri Yaadon Main.

But the biggest crowd-pleasers didn't come up until the second half of the show, and included Tera Chehra, from his 2002 album of the same name, and Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein, also from his album, which saw practically the whole audience singing along.

The only disappointment was one of biggest hits. The soft and melodious Kabhi To Nazar Milao was performed in an up-tempo style and was a bit of a hit-and-miss.

Throughout the show, Khan remained animated, interacting with the audience and indulging in self-deprecating humour about his long struggle with obesity – the singer weighed 230kg at one point in his career.

The closing song, unsurprisingly enough, was Khan's biggest hit in recent years. As soon as he launched into the opening bars of Lift Kara De, the audience got to their feet and began singing and dancing along.

Let’s hope we don’t have to wait another nine years for his next concert.

artslife@thenational.ae