“The Indian concert scene is in bad shape,” declared a Delhi-based event organizer on condition of anonymity. This sentiment is expressed by every stakeholder, be it attendees, artistes, and even some promoters. For a country that loves its stars and music, India has not been able to up its game when it comes to hosting mega concerts. But the end of 2024 could change that. Diljit Dosanjh’s Dil-Luminati Tour kicks off ahead of Diwali and Coldplay takes it up a notch. But is India – and, more importantly, the organizers – ready? ,Also read: Dua Lipa at her India concert: My last visit to the country was a beautiful reminder of how much I love this place,
Why is Diljit Dosanjh’s visit important?
Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh’s Dil-Luminati Tour has arrived in India after enthralling fans in Europe and North America. It would not be wrong to say that Diljit is the biggest Indian pop artist at present. His concert in Delhi on Saturday evening will be attended by 35,000 fans. Same number of people will fill Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday. The tour is a litmus test for entrepreneur Deepinder Goyal’s ZomatLive, his platform to rival BookMyShow in India. ZomatoLive has never hosted a tour of this size before. And a lot will have to go right to realize Goyal’s aspirations of a world-class experience.
Problems hampering music festivals in India
Music events in India have suffered due to several factors, including lack of culture and infrastructure problems. “Organizers and promoters often oversell. They create tour and concert concepts and then try to fit that vision into whatever available space they have. This leads to issues like overcrowding or lack of proper fire exits, etc. In the West, the venue and everything else needs to be changed,” says Sarthak, a Delhi-based event organiser. The biggest issue is culture. People want jugaad in everything and want free access. This mentality means there is no respect for the artist or the program. It’s all about showing up and being there. ,
Goyal has at least tried to curb freeloaders. After announcing the Zomato Feeding India concert featuring Dua Lipa, she shared that she received many messages asking for ‘free passes’. Goyal posted, “I have been getting a lot of messages for free passes for the concert. Interestingly, all these requests are from people who can pay well for these tickets. On my part, “I am leaving all such messages.” on Twitter. ,Also read: Deepinder Goyal criticizes people messaging him for free Dua Lipa concert passes,
What could change the game?
The effort to bypass the free pass culture and choose the biggest venues – JLN Stadium in Delhi – for these mega-events is a step in the right direction. But many other things are also at play. Anyone who has attended an event in India knows that more than the time spent at the venue, the time spent in reaching there and then back home matters. Be it JLN in Delhi or BKC in Mumbai, traffic problem becomes the biggest concern. This is, perhaps, out of ZomatoLive’s hands, but a better organized concert would give credibility to the scene, and then perhaps, the administration could also step up their game.
“Music lovers are ready to bear all kinds of inconvenience,” says Avinash, who is going to Diljit’s Delhi concert on Sunday. “The organizers just need to provide us with basic facilities. Proper toilets, vent lines, or some help is all we ask for.”
