SONU NIGAM’S CONCERT- “EXPLOSION 2009”- A SMASHING HIT!

SONU NIGAM - MAN WITH GOLDEN VOICE

The Phoenix cultural scene was witness to a musical explosion on Saturday, August 15^th, 2009. The Bollywood Musical Extravaganza organized by the Indo-American Cultural and Religious Foundation of Arizona and Kiran Dhole, was a smashing hit. The event held at the beautiful newly renovated Phoenix Symphony Hall, was a sold out show with a record audience of over 2,300 people in attendance. And boy what a treat it was! Right from the get go the audience was electrified with a performance that left them dazzled and in awe of Sonu Nigam’s talent and his ability to entertain audiences of all ages with his singing, dancing and showmanship.

The evening started with a video presentation “ The Story of Incredible India” as a tribute to celebrate India’s 63^rd Independence Day. The presentation set the stage as it filled the auditorium with a positive energy and created the mood for the explosion that was to come. Bollywood dancers and Gunjan Singh then took over the stage in a scintillating number as a prelude to the main act and to energize the crowd. Gunjan Singh captivated the audience with her superb renditions of popular Bollywood songs including the Oscar winning ‘Jai Ho’ from Slumdog Millionaire and the ever popular ‘Koi tho patha’ from the hit Bollywood movie Jab We Met.

But the evening belonged to Sonu Nigam. From the moment he stepped on stage the crowd went wild as he opened the program with the ever-popular ‘Suraj Hua Madham’ from Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. He showed the audience that he was indeed the consummate performer with his singing, dancing and showmanship. As he belted out one hit after another- hit numbers from Kal Ho Na Ho, Om Shanthi Om, Dil Se and on and on. The audience could not contain themselves. Young and old alike got out of their seats and made it through the aisles of the auditorium singing and dancing along. It was amazing to see the impact Bollywood had on the youngsters. Kids born and raised in the US were not just humming along but knew the lyrics to all the songs and tried to keep up with Sonu Nigam’s dance steps! One could not help but marvel at the artist’s talent, his vocals and mastery over the art form.

If the first half was geared to the youngsters, the second half definitely pleased the older members of the audience. The singer and his father, Mr. Adnam Kumar Nigam thrilled the audience with songs from yester year singing star Mohammed Rafi. Sonu Nigam’s rendition of Rafi’s bhajan from the old classic movie “Baiju Bawra” – ‘Oh Duniya ke Rakh wale’ brought the house down.

But without doubt the highlight of the show was Sonu Nigam’s tribute to the late Michael Jackson. He not only performed ‘Billie Jean’ to perfection, but also did Michael Jackson’s trademark Moonwalk much to the thrill of the audience! He literally brought the house down with that number. Sonu Nigam ended the program with the high energy ‘Nagara’ from Jab We Met followed by the somber, but very appropriate ‘Har Ghadi Badal Rahi Hai’ from Kal Ho Na Ho at midnight!

                    HOUSE FULL - Phoenix Symphony Hall

Boy what a show and what a treat it was for the 2,300 plus people who came- solid 4 and 1/2 hours of non-stop entertainment! The show truly lived to it’s name and was indeed a musical explosion- something the Valley had not seen before. As event Co Chair Rajeev Sethia said, “Phoenicians no longer need to make the journey out to Los Angeles or Houston to see a Bollywood Show”. We can enjoy them right here in the Valley of the Sun.

The event, which was brought to Phoenix by the Indo-American Cultural and Religious Foundation of Arizona and Kiran Dhole, could not have been such a smashing success without the support of the community. The Foundation and the Dhole family would like to thank the event Co Chairs, Manish Gupta and Rajeev Sethia who worked tirelessly in ensuring that the event was a success, all the event sponsors, in particular, AZIndia.com in helping with ticket sales, JW Marriott for sponsoring the local stay of all the artists, individual donors, and host of volunteers who helped make the event such a success. Last but certainly not the least, the Foundation had to undertake a financial risk in bringing such a show to the Valley, however, thanks to the support from the community the show was a grand success.

In addition to the Sonu Nigam concert on August 15^th, the Indo American Foundation also conducted a Free Health Screening, a Blood Donation Drive and a Children’s essay writing and Public Speaking contest as part of it’s community service program and Independence Day celebrations. Each of the above events held at the Indo American Community Center that morning were a huge success. Over 150 people signed up for the Free Health Screening, in fact, demand was so high that the Foundation will be repeating this Free Health Screening on Sunday, August 30^th at the Community Center. Likewise, the Blood Donation Drive and the first ever children’s Essay Writing and Public Speaking contest was a big success as well.

Kalpana Batni

Director, Indo-American Foundation of Arizona