Bangalore, 7/3/05 - A MATCH REPORT this is a two part report of the event that took place in Bangalore, at the usual venue of the Palace Grounds, on the evening of 7th of March 2005.
The Ambience !! After walking the better part of five miles, I finally arrived at the gates, just minutes after it had opened. There were only a few people in the queue and fewer vehicles in the parking lot. With me was my Jacket and cigarettes in my old faithful school bag, a jumbo pack of chips that I was reaching into from time to time, and my cam mobile phone. I took a picture of the embryonic queue first thing and then queued up myself. Was really worried about the chances of my cam phone being allowed inside the compound, and so asked a lot of people about it, in my anxiety. They said that ordinary mobiles were allowed, but cams not. Behind me was a foreigner. However this was nothing like Waters. That was simply huge and foreigners weren't at all uncommon. But this was very BIG for me personally, 'cos i worship MARK KNOPFLER. Anyway the queue inched along forward, while behind me it had snaked quite a bit already and was growing steadily. At the first "frontier", I was told that no bags were allowed and I said that all that it had was a jacket. So saying, I like a fool, surrendered the pack of cigarettes and match box. As for the pack of chips, I ate all that I could and then passed the bag to the people behind me - better than giving it to the guards. At he second and last frontier, they frisked me, but I had concealed the mobile phone well, in the small of my back, halfway below the level of the belt. The very same part of my anatomy had successfully concealed a set of Dictaphone cassettes, and enabled me to smuggle them inside during the Waters concert, so I was banking on getting it through yet again. One guard asked me in Kannada what I had in the bag and I said "yeno illa" (there's nothing) in the worst non Bangalorean accent I could, which both amused and convinced him that I wasnt carrying any T.N.T. If i knew it'd be so easy, I'd have kept the fags. The first sight of the stage was awesome. I Pic-ed it immediately.Then I tried to soak up the ambience. Flood lights along the boundary walls. Blue stage. 2 mountings for the camera men, 2 for the speakers and 2 screens on either side of the stage. Pics and more Pics. People were trickling in. I saw a group of foriegners, with Hutch ribbons tied to their thighs. I sat under a tree at the far end of the enclosure, near where all the grub stalls were, and took in the sounds and sights. Noted with regret that the framework for the speakers and cameramen were located in the 2500 section and not in the 1000 rupee section. So up went in smoke of the chances of repeating what we had done during Waters, when me and a group of guys had climbed onto the steel framework that supported the speakers, so as to get a better view of the stage, over the heads of the multitudes. They were playing bluesy numbers and other oldies, while we waited patiently for Mark K. One guy came along smoking. I decided to chance it and asked him for a fag. He obliged me with one and I sat under that tree and smoked. It sucked that i had come alone. Almost everyone had come in a group or at least a pair, not necessarily mixed. Behind me, on the other side of the tree trunk, I noticed that some 3-4 whites had pitched camp, so to speak. I sat and took pics of the crowd pouring in and the imposing stage. Nokia had provided coushion shaped baloons, which most probably were meant for tossing around amongst the spectators during the show, as they do in events such as Glastonbury and Woodstock, but the people here were using them for sitting on, and burst most of them with their pointed asses in the process. After the cig, and a pic of the setting sun, I decided to head for the front of the 1000 rupee section, pushing my way past the crowd as much as I could and waited there. The many self appointed experts that always show up at such events were busy wearing their expertise on their sleeves - letting others know how "heavy fee-ul (not fuel)" was the best Dire Straits song, how MK was no where as good as Sting, how they'd all take their clothes off and dance a jig in extacy when he played Sultans of swing, how lady writer was one lousy song, etc etc. Oh yeah there were chicks too - pretty, petite, pouting, pulsating, perverted, pretentious and in some cases none of the aforementioned. There was a sultry, svelte amazon godess about two shoulder lengths to the left of me. If she had come to increase the s-e-x appeal of the show, then she'd been very successful at it, along with the the other tank topped Indian and foreign beauties. All so far away from me They displayed and announced the Ads of the sponsors. It was getting close to 7.30. A couple of uncles were standing right behind me. Well if they wanted to "live a little", well into their middle age as they were, then who were the rest of us to grudge them? And they weren't the only uncles (and aunts) that I spotted at the concert. What the heck, the performer himself was 55! There were a few false ovations, as the crowd first mistakenly (and then deliberately) assumed every entrant onto the stage to be MK. I realised that I was too short to get more than the occational glimpse of the stage from above the shoulders of theguys in front of me. I could see six guitars arranged neatly in a row, on the stage. And then he finally came, in a white shirt and blue jeans - and the crowd erupted !! commng up next : THE ACTION !!
THE ACTION - Part 1 The spectators hadn't quite stopped their cheering when he launched himself headlong into the first song of the night, without a single greeting or comment yet. HE (as different from He) set the ball rolling with Why Aye Man, the first song of his second last album Rag Picker's Dream. The "experts" were cought unawares first up and yours truely had to let them know what the name was!! Then, while the audience was still warming up to the night ahead, the unmistakable refrain of one of the most Dire Straits-ic of their songs was heard, and that send everyone into a tizzy, some to their orgasms. Others just joined Mark in his Walk of Life, and began to have the time of their lives too. Me for one. The version dished out was rather hip-hoppish, but lacked neither zing, nor sting. It certainly retained its famed fizz, and everyone was switched to the "groovy" mood in no time. Most sang along as best they could. Knopfler meant business and sure was gonna leave his Mark here. Next came that beautiful song called "What it is", the first song of "Sailing to Philadelphia" where the lyrics effortlessly oscillated between centuries, with characteristic Knopfleresque ease ( On Charlotte Street I take A walking stick from my hotel / The ghost of Dirty Di-ck Is still in search of Little Nell ). He set his guitar on fire, a la Lady Writer and Sultans of swing, when he came to the outro of the song. The applauding crowd was still recovering from their first dose of the highest quality fingerpicking, when he said upon finishing the song "Thank You for your beautiful welcome to your beautiful country", which fetched an even louder round of claps and cheers. Next he sang a song, no one had any clue about. Probably from the many sound tracks he did for movies or from his Nottng Hillibilies days. I had done my homework, especially on his post dire straits stuff, thanks to Bearshare and Blubster, but this wasnt one I was familiar with either .( Probably suspecting the helplessness of the crowd, he next sailed his way into the crowd favourite of "Romeo and Juliet". Girls danced and guys became singers. The song sounded, as pleasant as ever and everyone sang along. Deciding to keep the tempo going, he next belted out a kick ass rendition of Sultans of Swing, which left nobody confused about who the real sultan of sultans actually was.The crowd was delirious, the music thunderous, the climax shattering and the subsequent applause deafening. Amidst all that clapping the sultan spoke again - " guys come here to show off", - so saying he introduced his band members and pointed out who played what instrument, saving a witty comment for the last one "Glenn (wolf) is here with his enormous instrument tonight" (glenn played something in the bass or cello family, like in that def leppard song). The audience got the joke and laughed. Life was good. The evening held many promises. Then he sang one of the better songs from the album I consider to be the best of his solo efforts. It was the fantastic "Done wth Bonaparte", from Golden Heart, where he imagined himself to be a foot soldier in Napoleon's army, returning after getting the hell beaten out of them by the Russians. The song isnt really "rock" by any means, but is sweet and touching, and I sang along, knowing as I did, almost all the lyrics by heart. The crowd knew their Dire Straits well, but not Mark Knopfler and again few (at least where I was standing) had a clue about this one. I am sorry, but the next song of the night, was another in the Unidentified Frigging Overtures (UFO) category. We were all on the same boat and no one knew whether to clap or tap feet. Next he sang one from his latest crop of songs. It was "Donegan's Gone", from "shangri la" and the cluelessness of the crowd increased somewhat more if anything!! Meanwhile I blessed Blubster Then he sang a song which again few knew, but none present there will forget in a hurry. The experts asked me repeatedly about the name and I obliged. Speedway At Nazareth, happens to be one of the "harder" songs of "Sailing to Philadelphia", cast in the typical Mark Knopfler mould, where he sings the song first, and then launches into a guitar blitz. And man, blitz he did!! The frenzied playing went on and on, and had he continued somewhat longer, I'm sure the sky would have fallen. The audience reacted as if a major weapon of mass destruction had been dropped nearby, and queries like the famous last words of the mayor of Hiroshima ("what the fcuk was that?" - this is part of a popular joke silly, not for real !) were rampant. Words cant express the momentum he built and even less, the "sucker punch"-like explosive ending that he steadily carved out, upon finishing the lyrics with "At the speedway at Nazareth, I made no mistake". Everyone was left gasping, both very stirred and considerably shaken, and many including the uncles behind me, vowed to each other that they'd buy the album before sun-up. If they ever release a "live" album of the songs he played during this world tour of his, then for the Bangalore rendition of "Speedway at Nazareth", selection should be a cake walk. I reiterate, the apocalyptic climax of the song had to be heard to be believed (unfortunately the album version finishes many notches lower, but should still be able to throw a clue or three). The applause at the end continued for about the duration of the song itself !! While we were still reeling from the effects of the mushroom cloud, he quitely slipped in another of his newer numbers, this one being the lively "Boom like that", the 2nd song from Shangri-La, about the founder of McDonalds. This song was nowhere as potent as the previous one and the change of pacer, helped our pulse beats normalize somewhat lol. And yet again, the crowd was caught wrong footed, by his choice of song. Wish he had stuck to his Dire straits hits.
THE ACTION - Part 2 There was no mistaking the next one though. I knew it the moment the strains started and so did many others. IMHO, though no doubt a good song, Telegraph Road climaxes a bit too early and the subsequent part is sort of monotonous, with occational out bursts of energy and not the most melodious. It was no different on the night of the 7th of March, though he did improvise beautifully during the long extended solo to finish it with quite a bang. I enjoyed the song, more than I usually do. Next they took a break of about two minutes. All this time we all were standing, packed like sardines. Barring the occational glimpse of a balding man in a white shirt on the stage, there's little else that I saw "live". Most of the "watching" was done on the two screens that flanked the stage, and while taking pics, I had to take them from the screens too, that too whilst standing on tip toe, so as to get a clearer view. Being a shortie doesn't help in a lot of real life situations, and I realised that day, that rock concerts were another of them. The pics that I took directly off the stage, came out very blurry, 'cos the lights were shinning towards the cam, which is like photographing while facing the sun. I had borrowed my second fag of the night during the break between "Donegan's gone" and "Speeday at nazareth", which I shared/countered with one hefty "expert", cos expert himself didnt have any with him. And this time, during the two minute break, he managed to "patao" someone to lend him a fag, and so again we countered a cigarette. They resumed after the break with the anthemic "Brothers in Arms", and once more, all those who knew the lines sang along. This one, superb and melodious as it is, lacks punch completely, and is somewhat of a misfit during live concerts, so methinks. It did avhieve another thing though which is it set every one in a very relaxed and "feel good" sort of mood, brimming with warmth and love for the rest of humanity. It was thus during this anti-war song, that the shoving, stamping and elbowing reduced considerably. There was a "rolling thunder" like drum roll when the song ended and to the backdrop of the drums he said, "Richard's gonna play a cover now, a very famous cover". The "famous cover" that Richard Bennet (actually not, cos he himself played and sang it) played, was a certain "Money for Nothing". Again the spectators found themselves on very familiar territory and again they sang, yelled, screeched, head banged, clapped or cheered, depending on the level of their musical talents. When this mega hit song ended, there was understadably a big round of applause, and he acknowledged smoothly with a "thank you". Then he reminded us of another golden oldie, with "So far away". I've always liked the song and thought it was a particularly nice choice as an album-opener song. The version he did on this concert, was a lot better than the one in the album, and had a considerably, in fact very, hard rock feel to it. Had the album version been anything similar, then "So Far Away" would have been held right up there with the other major hits of Dire Straits. There was no mistaking the next one though. I knew it the moment the strains started and so did many others. IMHO, though no doubt a good song, Telegraph Road climaxes a bit too early and the subsequent part is sort of monotonous, with occational out bursts of energy and not the most melodious. It was no different on the night of the 7th of March, though he did improvise beautifully during the long extended solo to finish it with quite a bang. I enjoyed the song, more than I usually do. Next they took a break of about two minutes. All this time we all were standing, packed like sardines. Barring the occational glimpse of a balding man in a white shirt on the stage, there's little that I saw "live". Most of the "watching" was done on the two screens that flanked the stage, and while taking pics, I had to take them from the screens too, that too whilst standing on tip toe, so as to get a clearer view. Being a shortie doesn't help in a lot of real life situations, and I realised that day, that rock concerts were one of them. The pics I took directly off the stage, came out very blurry, 'cos the lights were shinning towards the cam, which is like photographing while facing the sun. I had borrowed my second fag of the night during the break between "Donegan's gone" amd "speeday at nazareth", which shared/countered with one hefty "experts", cos expert himself didnt have any with him. And this time, during the two minute break, he managed to "patao" someone to lend him a fag, and so again we countered a cigarette. They resumed after the break with the anthemic "Brohers in Arms", and once more, all those who knew the lines sang along. This one, superb and melodious as it is, lacks punch completely, and is somewhat of a misfit during live concerts, so methinks. It did avhieve another thing though which is it set every one in a very relaxed and "feel good" sort of mood, brimming with warmth and love for the rest of humanity. It was thus during this anti-war song, that the shoving, stamping and elbowing reduced considerably. There was a "rolling thunder" like drum roll when the song ended and to the backdrop of the drums he said, "Richard's gonna play a cover now, a very famous cover". The "famous cover" that Richard Bennet (actually not, cos he himself played and sang it) played, was a certain "Money for Nothing". Again the spectators found themselves on very familiar territory and again they sang, yelled, screeched, head banged, clapped or cheered, depending on the level of their musical talents. When this mega hit song ended, there was understadably a big round of applause, and he acknowledged smoothly with a "thank you". Then he reminded us of another golden oldie, with "So far away" I always liked the song and thought it was a nice choice for an album-opener song. The version he did on this concert, was a lot better than the one in the album, and had a considerably, in fact very, hard rock feel to it. Had the album version been anything similar, then "So Far Away" would have been held right up there with the other major hits of Dire Straits. Towards the end of the song he massala maro-ed with "All right now chaps", which seemed to fit in seamlessly into the song. When the song got over with a jangling kind of finish, thanks to intentionally excessive use of the cymbals, all the band members lined up on stage and bowed. We had been suspecting that the end was near for quite some time now, and when this lining up and bowing took place, there were shouts of "we want more" galore. The lights of the screen behind the stage came on (mind you not the giant screens that flanked the stage on either side, but the one which served as the background of the stage), and it looked a very beautiful with its "star lit night sky" kind of decoration. The band members gave in to the yells of "we want more" and obliged with a "only music and no song" kind of piece which though not as melodious as "Potato Picking" was still quite pleasing to listen to and I suspect was a slightly improvised version of Local Hero. I suspect Mark Knopfler had decided to call it a day after "so far away" and so they had to go in fpor this song less piece. Then the flood lights came on all of a sudden and the show was over. Too bad that the sultan gave no indication or said anything in particular to sign off. Even a simple "thank you and good night" would have been enough to trigger off a standing ovation. But that wasnt to be and the artists just walked away after the musical piece and the crowd too similarly walked away after taking a couple of seconds to realise that it was all over. The exit gate was crowded, so I decided to wait and take snaps - of the now empty stage and the people huddled in groups, some squatting on the ground, discussing and disecting the show. The foreigners were now chattng with Indians they'd made friends with during the show. Meanwhile the late commers, who in their enthusiasm to get a better view, had climbed the tree I'd earlied sat under, were now climbing down using various techniques, some acrobatic but most "hand to tushy". It was getting slightly cold and so fished out and put on my jacket. I then bought myself a 650 ml maha glass (20 bux) of Pepsi and headed for the gate. The leaving bit was sad, for now it finally sunk in that the show (and the fun) was well and truely over and that I may never see MK again. I wish he keeps performing well into his sixties like Deep Purple and the Scorpions. That way I'd stand a chance for an encore. Out I headed, together with thousands of others, past the cars and bikes, which later overtook us. Outside the campus there was a mad rush for Autos and a sort of an "auction" took place for each one of them, with the drivers agreeing to take only the highest bidder. I stuck the just emptied Peps glass in the framework of a metal gate, and took one last pic of the place grounds, through the gate, with the glass in full view. Then I decided to walk ahead a bit, and that proved a wise decision and I soon found an auto to take me to my hotel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hope you have enjoyed my 3 part report of the event. I presented it exactly as I entered it in my dairy.
Good work! I was finally able to read the whole damn thing, you had quite and adventure there and i like the way you typed it down! Though it would be even better if you could post those pics you were snapping away.
ty for reading it. did you mean you liked the way i wrote it, or u liked it that i typed about a dozen pages for this one concert lol ???? yes i hope to post the pics too. does anyone have a clue about how to transfer the pics from a C650 motorola cam mobile into a comp? i had a good mind to ask it in the computer forum a few days back but ddnt. i bot it just recently, that too from a nokia dealer not moto. he says he dont knwo about moto sets, meanwhile moto service center's willing to show me how only for a rather fat fee, tho its very much their responsibility to show the customer at least once. i hope to sort it out soon by hook or crook (or left hook) and then you will have the pics, tho i doubt the pics of the man himself will be the greatest in the world, cos i had to take them off the screens
man two words..exhaustive and brilliant try goin into journalism man....but yea..i did get the essence of the concert....i actually culd imging the damn thing like neo said.wud like to see those snaps tho..
i feel honoured. as for the journalism, i have been told before.....lets see... your "could imagine the damn thing" made my day. i wrote it for myself with the same purpose - that someday later i could imagine it and transport myself to the palace grounds. the pics will come...dont worry... maybe next week.. i am a cam mobile virgin yet lol p.s : i am right now busy but maybe sometime late next week i will post from the dairy i wrote after the roger waters concert ... there's one part where i parody the lines of DSOTM's "eclipse" to describe the proceedngs.... any one interested in that ?
seriously man..if iwas writing a travelogue..this is the way i would want it to be, th whole thing was playin like a movie in my head.... ur posts always make intersting readsmake sure u cover the JS concert...so if i dont end up goin there..at least i get to read it over here..
hehe now i dont know what to say... ok my posts are interesting at times.. er if by JS you meant satch, then i have to confess thats its quite beyond me. cos i learnt whats shreading and finger picking only recently after comming to igt. its with a lot of difficulty that i tell a guitar from a sitar , so low is my musical aptitude hehe
thanks !! as for the pics.... i am praying that i can. long ass story man........ and sad too!! basically, the "ic" (of the mobile phone) that handles pics is damaged. motorola has even offered to replace my set. but i asked them to retrieve the pics by hook or croook and then think of replacements. they said that the pics are not transferring to a comp. so i asked them to sms/mms the pics from my phone to another one, one by one, and then retrieve the pics from that phone!! (bill on them ofcourse ) they asked time till this weekend... lets hope it works out. besides the concert pics, i also have 200+ pics in goa and another 50-60 odd of other places in M.P. - sanchi, mandu and orcha. i dont want to lose those either. so, say a little prayer for me!!
