November Rain: An enthralling evening with ‘ABC Generation’ and Nagar Baul
The long line of awaiting music lovers outside the venue stood testament to the fact that the people of Dhaka had really missed winter concerts the past year due to the Covid-19 pandemic
Winter concerts are finally back in Dhaka and 'November Rain', organised by Brandmyth Communication and powered by Fogg, is one of the season's warmers.
The mega concert took place at Hall 4 of International Convention City Bashundhara in the capital's Purbachal Highway.
The long line of awaiting music lovers outside the venue stood testament to the fact that the people of Dhaka had really missed winter concerts the past year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The best part of all was that we got to see the 'ABC Generation' (Artcell, Black, Cryptic Fate) live after many years.
The gates to the concert were opened at 12 pm and the show took off at 3 pm with heavy metal band Fuze as the opener.
Plasmic Knock and Savagery took to the stage next. Their high-energy performance kept the crowd energised for the main show of the evening when the iconic bands would roll in.
Three bands had already performed, and by this time, the crowd's anticipation for legendary rock band Vikings was ascending. They performed some of their most famous tracks such as 'Opekkha' and 'Ishwar', which was written dedicated to the late Ayub Bacchu.
After Vikings had mesmerised the audience with five of their most loved tracks, it was time for the 'ABC Generation' to take over.
Black was the first band to perform and they blew the audience away, but not only with their performance. This beloved band came prepared with a bunch of surprises for their fans.
The first surprise was unveiled by Black member Arafat Kirty: a new vocalist, Ishaan Hossain, would be joining the band soon. And soon enough, Ishaan came up to the stage, spoke about his journey of getting acquainted with Black and started off their powerful performance with 'Abar', the title track of their album that has had a cult following ever since it was released in 2009.
They surprised the audience next by announcing Kazi Faisal Ahmed as Black's guest guitarist. And the last bit of surprise was delivered by inviting Tashfia Sui Tashfee and Arafat Kazi with his band 'The Attempted Band' to join them on stage.
Among other songs, they also performed 'Blues & Rod' and 'Manush Pakhir Gaan'.
After Black's star-studded performance, it was time for Cryptic Fate to remind the audience how powerful and ethereal live music can be.
Songs like 'Cholo Bangladesh' and 'Bhoboghure' in Shakib Chowdhury's vocals was simply blissful to listen to.
Everyone now knew which band was up next. The audience started cheering for this band as soon as Cryptic Fate cleared out the stage. It was time for Artcell to take the concert to the next level.
The stage lights were dimmed and the equipment was being set up. And one by one, slowly, we started deciphering the distant silhouettes of Kazi Faisal Ahmed (guitar) and Kazi Shazzadul Asheqeen Shaju (drums), and the crowd went haywire - screaming and cheering for Artcell to start the show.
After soundcheck, it was finally time for the anticipation to reach its climax. Lincoln D' Costa took to the stage and revved up his guitar to the tunes of 'Ei Bidaye'. The crowd sang along to the track, making the walls of the premises vibrate.
Artcell delivered a power-packed performance that seemed to give the audience a jolt of unending and ferocious energy. For the next 30 minutes, Artcell performed 'Onno Shomoy' and 'Chile Kothar Shepai'.
The evening had arrived at its last leg but the crowd's energy and enthusiasm indicated otherwise. It was expected the crowd would go full crazy with Artcell, and that is exactly what happened.
The star of the show, however, was Guru James. He headlined the concert with his band Nagar Baul after two years. It is needless to point out how much energy Guru James pours into live shows to liven up the audience.
If there is one performance that can drive an audience of a few hundred absolutely crazy by just showing up on the stage, it has to be Guru James - whether he is with his band or is there just by himself.
After waiting for a solid 20 minutes, Guru James finally showed up on stage and acknowledged his fans. Then, he started strumming his guitar and this was enough for the fans to scream out loud in joy.
Nagar Baul started their performance with 'Lace Fita Lace', most of which was sung by the audience, while Guru James allowed them to sing to their heart's content.
Alongside music, another thing Guru James does best is paying respect to his fans and the audience in his concerts. Likewise, he addressed his fans as his "Jaan" and said that he is here as long as his fans are here.
While performing 'Dushtu Cheler Dol', Guru James kissed the mic twice, dedicating the gesture of love to his fans.
Giving the audience the perfect ending to a mega concert, James performed nine more of his tracks, one after the other. He performed some of his cult classics such as 'Pagla Hawa', 'Sultana Bibiana' and 'Taray Taray'.
Guru James headlining 'November Rain' was simply the cherry on top. With a banging lineup of some of the country's most iconic rock bands, November Rain was definitely one of those concerts which will be remembered by people for a long time.
