Sunidhi Chauhan plays with notes and jams with drummer at Abu Dhabi concert

Constantly interacting with the audience, Chauhan was a powerhouse on the stage, dancing and encouraging the crowd to do the same through most of her two-hour show at Emirates Palace

Sunidhi Chauhan performing at Emirates Palace, Courtesy: FLASH Entertainment

There are two things I learnt from the Sunidhi Chauhan concert at Emirates Palace on Friday night: Chauhan is even better on stage and the crowd in Abu Dhabi really knows how to enjoy a concert.
The show kicked off about half an hour late to an almost packed house, with RJs from Radio Mirchi prepping the crowd before the opening act, Rakesh Maini, took to the stage.
One of the finalists from Indian Idol season five, Maini started the show with his rendition of Main Tainu Samjhawan Ki, which was a major hit with the crowd - and for good reason. The singer's rendition topped Arijit Singh's cover version for the film Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.
Sunidhi Chauhan made her grand entrance to the song Mast which is the number that catapulted her to fame.
Sporting a new haircut and fresh off her 31st birthday, Chauhan had the crowds cheering from the get go as she belted out crowd-pleasers such as Dhoom Machale, Halkat Jawani and Chance Pe Dance.
The mood turned sombre when she sang the more soulful Ishq Sufiyana and the unplugged version of Bin Tere, both of which we had predicted she would sing.
She also belted out several of her popular songs, including Sajna Ve Sajna, Ainvayi Ainvayi and Bechara Dil, and even retro hits such as Kabhi Kabhi and Dil Cheez Kya Hai.
Constantly interacting with the audience, Chauhan was a powerhouse on the stage, dancing and encouraging the crowd to do the same. Every time the audience would quiet down a tad, she would pick up the tempo and have them dancing in the aisles again.
From flitting between fast and slow songs, to playing with the tempos and notes of the songs she sang, she didn't stick to the original format of any number. Confident enough of her talent to have an impromptu jam session with the drummer, she showed no signs of slowing down as she trotted around the stage, going from one end to the other.
The night hit an all-time high when she sang her most popular songs, such as Desi Girl, her duets with Rakesh Maini on Disco Deewane and Dilliwali Girlfriend, Sajna ji Vaari Vaari, Kamli and Sheila Ki Jawaani. Barely anyone in the audience remained in their seats.
The grand finale was the song Beedi - interspersed with the dhol - that gave the song a whole new feel.
The singer showed no signs of fatigue as the concert closed in on the two-hour mark. Chauhan proved her mettle not only as a fantastic singer, but a great entertainer as well.
I overheard someone asking one of the organisers when her next show in Abu Dhabi would be - and that's how you know the show was a huge success.
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