It was billed as “the biggest concert of summer 2015” – and it lived up to the hype. Bollywood’s favourite singer Arijit Singh performed on Saturday, June 13, at Dubai’s 1,300-capacity Hard Rock Cafe, which was packed to the rafters. Back after the rave reviews for his January gig in the emirate, Singh performed for a little over two hours, belting out his biggest hits, medley-style.
The show kicked off at 8pm, with DJ Shadow and Knox Artiste pumping up the crowd until local rock band Rooh took the stage. The group – who opened for Farhan Akhtar at the same venue in 2013 – played a mix of Bollywood and classic rock, before making way for UK-based singers Arjun and Priti.
Singh stepped on to the stage at 11pm and his set, to the joy of his fans, featured the usual favourites, including Tum Hi Ho, Kabira, Main Rang Sharbaton Ka, Kabhi Jo Badal Barse, Muskurane Ki Wajha and Sawan Aaya Hai.
Contrary to expectations, Singh didn't sing any of his new tracks, but surprised everyone with cover versions of well-known classics including the evergreen love ballad Pehla Nasha, as well as a few numbers by Pakistani singer Atif Aslam.
The only disappointment was that despite performing in such an intimate venue, Singh did not once interact with the crowd before ending his set at 1.15am, after which DJ Buddha took to the decks until 3am.
artslife@thenational.ae
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
