We are in the peak season of the live music industry and Bengaluru has been India’s mega-concert destination for the past few weeks. Sure, we’re not getting Coldplay, but Punjabi stars like Diljit Dosanjh and Karan Aujla have made sure to include Bengaluru in their nationwide tours.
A week later, Karan Aujla was singing his hit songs, ‘Tauba Tauba’ and ‘Softly’ as part of his It Was All a Dream India Tour, which stopped in the city on 13 December. While some were surprised that a South Indian city would become a must-stop for Punjabi artistes, it says a lot about Bengaluru’s broader population that enjoys all types of music. Not only do these artists come to promote their social media feeds, but multiple footage from Dosanjh and Aujla’s respective concerts shows thousands of people singing along.
In fact, it is the streaming numbers that guide these artistes to book a concert in Bengaluru. The likes of Arijit Singh, reportedly the most streamed artist in India on Spotify for four consecutive years, kicked off his India tour in the city on November 30, presenting old and new hit songs.
Dosanjh, Aujla and Singh can easily claim to have sold more than 20,000 tickets for their respective concerts in the city.
Veteran Bollywood powerhouse singer Sunidhi Chauhan also stopped by the city to perform on October 26 as part of her I’m Home Tour. Earlier in the year, another fabulous playback voice – Shreya Ghoshal – ensured that her All Hearts Tour made a stopover in Bengaluru in May. 11.
Among international artists, Canadian rockstar Bryan Adams returned to the city on December 14 as part of his biggest India tour, with over 18,000 people in attendance. Norwegian EDM artist Alan Walker reportedly attracted over 25,000 attendees to the city on October 4, and spectators were treated to a drone light show featuring 500 drones in action, as well as a guest appearance by actor Alia Bhatt. Were.
Echoes of Earth 2024 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Many of these concerts have taken place mostly on the outskirts of the city, at venues such as the Embassy International Riding School close to the airport or the NICE Grounds in Madawara. While previous generations might have seen famous international rock and metal artists fill the Palace grounds in the past, today Bengaluru hosts concerts on the same scale as before, albeit with (comparatively) better infrastructure.
There’s also been a solid resurgence of music festivals over the past few years, from the likes of Bandland bringing in Avenged Sevenfold and Extreme in November to a steady cruise of Echoes of the Earth in early December. Bangalore Open Air also kept its date with metalheads, hosting a two-day edition featuring In Flames and Creator in February.
While there was rock and metal at Bangalore Open Air and Bandland, electronic music fans had a steady presence at DGTL in November, headlined by the likes of Chase & Status. K-pop fans, for their part, cheered on EXO’s artists Hyolyn and Suho’s stunning choreography and vocals at the K-Wave festival in October.
Along with the mega-concert, promoters Enigma in India also bet on international artists like singer-songwriter Ben Howard, Norwegian prog band Lepras, American tech-metal band Animals As Leaders, post-rock band God Is An Astronaut and Indian- Are applying. When it comes to mid-sized shows original Australian trio Glass Beams packed out houses, averaging over 1,000 attendees with the exception of Glass Beams, who played a sell-out Gillies to over 600 people. Show on Fandom in Redefined.
Indie favorites like Anuv Jain, Pratik Kuhad and others have also attended almost mega-level concerts in the city, as rap star Hanumankind conquered the city in September after releasing his hit song ‘Big Dogs’. Was done. ‘With producer Kalmi. The year concluded with a rare return of Goa/New Delhi act Peter Cat Recording Company to Bengaluru on 28 December to a few thousand people, promoting their globally acclaimed new album. ConditionOne.
Bryan Adams So Happy It Hurts, Bengaluru | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Next up, British pop star Ed Sheeran is making his way and the demand already speaks for itself – Sheeran in Bengaluru’s first mega-concert of 2025 on not one but two dates in the city at NICE on February 8 and 9 Will give presentation. Field. As long as these venues exist, the city can boast of hosting mega-concerts like few other cities in the country.
over the crop
Bengaluru artists who created a stir in 2024
Varijashree Venugopal: Although the flautist and singer-composer was nominated for a Grammy for her collaboration with British artist Jacob Collier (for ‘A Rock Somewhere’ with Anushka Shankar), it’s no less than her thought-provoking debut album. Wari – A treat in every way for Carnatic, Jazz and Kannada music lovers.
Raghu Dixit: Boldly leading with the motto that these were “songs about surviving even when you don’t want to”, Raghu Dixit poured his heart out SugarHer first independent album since 2013. Its multilingual, power-packed approach has been successful.
Frizzell D’Souza: Mangaluru-raised, city-based singer-songwriter Frizzell D’Souza expands her horizons as a storyteller with her second EP. in my oddityIt had all the best kinds of intimate stories, as well as a heartfelt song to your mother with ‘Mother’s Lullaby’.
Smokey the Ghost: You won’t find the veteran Bengaluru rapper’s latest album What is his name? On Spotify and that’s intentional. A rebel with a purpose, Smokey teamed up with Yuhina, Pratika, Meba Ophelia and others for a conscious record. In the description she says, “This album is an intersectional feminist, concept album created for women to give to men.”
Eccentric Pendulum: For regulars on the metal circuit in the city, Eccentric Pendulum’s return with the release of their album in 2024 has been like never before. Perspective InvertalisIt demonstrated why they are one of the most mind-boggling forces in progressive metal in the country.
Space is all we have: Regular acts on the modern metal circuit, Space Is All We Have have released their single ‘Broken’ with vocalist Munj TDT of folk-metal band The Down Troddens, who find themselves playing heavy in the city alongside singers like Ksetravid. Finds himself leading a new movement in music. , Frostcraft, As Ocean’s Flatline and more.
published – December 31, 2024 01:27 PM IST
