Sting

Bangalore, Palace Grounds and Delhi, Dilli Haat Pitampura Grounds, India Tour, 2005

In the 1980s, Sting along with his band members, Stewart Copeland and Henry Padovani, formed the early version of the band The Police which experimented with jazz, rock and classical music. This set down a new path for him as an independent musician who incorporated jazz with impeccable guitar work in all his performances.

Sting’s India tour catered to thousands of his fans who thronged around the artist to get a signed copy of his autobiography, Broken Music. His autobiography had been released only a month before his concerts in India and many people were hearing Sting perform live for the first time. Signature numbers like “Every breath you take” and “Desert Rose” had the crowd in ecstacy.

“One of the band members was a friend who invited us to the venue before the concert started. Sting strolled in for a chat - witty and charming; we requested him to autograph for a friend (a die hard fan) and he obliged me with a personal note.” - Anuradha, Bangalore

“I remember the Sting concert being relatively better organised and we squeezed our way through the crowds to reach upfront to watch him perform ‘every breath you take’.” - Shaina, Bangalore

Concert video description:
Sting repeats the lyrics “every breath you take, every move you make” multiple times as the audience repeats it with him.

Slayer

Bangalore, Bhartiya City, Vladivar Rock n' India, 2012

The American thrash metal band Slayer, were one of the most distinctive, influential, and extreme bands of the 1980s. Their lyrics did not shy away from graphic descriptions of death and dismemberment, to war and the horrors of hell. Their powerful performances were heavy on chaotic guitar solos, and they created chilling sonic backgrounds. The band’s unforgettable chronicling of the dark side remains as one of their most significant contributions to the history of music.

Slayer on stage was a complete success for Vladivar Rock n' India Festival and the band ended the concert with encores like the classic “Raining Blood”. It was perhaps fitting that the light drizzle that lasted throughout the evening complemented the stage effects for a psychedelic night.

Concert video description:
The crowd screams, the guitarist yells “are you ready?” - this is followed by heavy metal noises and lyrics. Two guitarists play electric guitars as the drummer plays the drums in the background.

The Rolling Stones

Bangalore, Palace Grounds, The Licks Tour, 2003

The Rolling Stones ushered in a new kind of rock culture as their career started off with blues based hard rock music. Despite their popularity, they never really let go of blues and produced rock hits throughout their career with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards at the forefront of the band’s success. The Rolling Stones were also known to respond to music by bands like The Beatles in the 1960s.

The heavens opened and it was pouring during the Rolling Stones’ concert as lead guitarist Keith Richard rechristened the song "Slipping Away" to "Dripping Away" in keeping with the weather. The rain didn't dampen the excitement of the crowd, rather it encouraged them as Mick Jagger strutted his stuff on stage. The crowd wore T-shirts with the Rolling Stones’ famous tongue and lips logo as they got into the spirit of the performance.

Concert video description:
Mick Jagger wearing a bright blue shirt enthusiastically points at the crowd, claps and repeats the lyrics to “you can’t always get what you want” multiple times.

Deep Purple

Bangalore, Cathedral School Grounds, 2006

Deep Purple was born at a time when loud hard rock music was important to express people’s emotions in the form of subcultures. With punk influences, they intelligently infused space rock with heavy metal and gained popularity amongst an army of fans.

"This brought back memories of our first ever rock concert, not counting the college rock shows. 14 of us straight out of college and our first jobs, virgins to rock concerts, were enthralled by the live experience of singing ‘Smoke on the water… Fire in the Sky’. We thought life is full of concerts. 20 years later, lots of concerts, job losses, changes, families later, it is still a magical evening that I will never forget. Three out of the group of 14, never went to any other concert. These friends are hoping to have their own magical concerts somewhere in another space and dimension." - Aparna, Bangalore

Concert video description:
The lights flicker and the lead singer Ian Gillan starts to sing, “we ended up at the Grand Hotel, it was empty, cold, and bare” and the crowd finished the lyrics with “fire in the sky”. Guitars and drums play in the background.

Machine Head

Bangalore, Palace Grounds, Rock n' India, 2008

Machine Head are long established as one of the most influential and incendiary bands in the metal world. Since 1991, they have enthralled fans with their undisputed mastery of murderous riffs and ferocious hooks and continue to tour the world even today.

The mood was boisterous as the crowd waited for the bands to begin. Rock n' India was one of the biggest rock festivals the country had ever seen, with popular local bands and rock legends alike. Unforgettable as guitarist Rob Flynn, wearing a black T-shirt with a fleur-de-lis symbol had his hair down, and was bobbing his head under the neon lights of the stage.

Concert video description:
The band members jump up and down. The drummer is in the background. Everyone on stage head bangs while playing electric guitars. Blue and red lights appear with smoke.

Megadeth

Bangalore, Palace Grounds, Rock n' India, 2008

Megadeth was formed in the early 1980s by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine following his departure from Metallica. Megadeth too became a successful thrash metal band. Mustaine expanded on the typical metal blueprint by speeding up the tempos and putting an emphasis on his lightning-fast technical guitar skills, with nihilistic lyrics; the focus of Megadeth was clearly on the sound of the guitars.

Labelled as “one big metal convention” the Megadeth concert was an amazing guitar experience for heavy metal fans. Crowds were waiting since early in the morning to hear the rock stars perform. Megadeth performed after Machine Head after which, the local bands followed.

Concert video description:
Lights flicker, band members stand next to each other and head bang with their sleek electric guitars. Their long hair covers their faces. A big bright light appears amidst darkness.

Kenny G

Bangalore, U.B. City, 2008

Kenny G, America’s best selling saxophonist whose sound is widely known through contemporary and smooth jazz radio stations, played for the first time in India in 2008, at U.B. City in Bangalore. Interestingly, because he usually does not improvise and sticks mostly to melody statements, his music largely falls outside of the definition of jazz. And yet, he frequently tops contemporary jazz charts indicating that the mass public associate his music with jazz.

The concert in Bangalore in 2008 is described best as magical. He mesmerised the crowd with his greatest hits such as “Silhouette”, “Havana”, “Sentimental” and the Titanic theme song.

Concert video description:
Blue lights fall on Kenny G as he makes an entrance through the crowd. Kenny G plays his saxophone as the audience claps. Drummer intensely plays the drums. Kenny G gets on the stage and plays more jazz.

Mark Knopfler

Bangalore, Palace Grounds, and Mumbai, MMRDA Grounds, 2005

Mark Knopfler is not only a singer but also a producer, songwriter and composer of music. In the late 1970s, Knopfler, with his earthy guitar style, led the Dire Straits, a rock band that suffused various musical genres into the songs that they played. Soon, Knopfler began to perform solo, even experimenting with country music. Known as a British guitar star, he even composed music for popular movies like The Princess Bride.

Think Mark Knopfler and hear a deep gravelly voice in your head that half sings and half recites the lyrics. Iconic numbers like “Money for Nothing”, had the crowd on its feet, chanting the words and singing along. Knopfler and the musicians were the “coolest band members I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting”, says Raoul Vardhan one of the organisers at DNA.

Concert video description:
A close up of Mark’s hands playing the tune appears as he sits on the chair. His legs move with the guitar music. The orchestra in the background appears intermittently.

Metallica

Bangalore, Palace Grounds, Rock n' India, 2011

Metallica is one of the most influential and successful rock bands in history. The album Metallica, which is commonly referred to as The Black Album, was released in 1991 and sold nearly 17 million copies in the United States alone. In December 2013, Metallica made history when they performed a rare concert in Antarctica.

“A sea of fans, one voice & an unparalleled energy to catch the idols performing live... Fans queued up outside the gate from the previous night itself, while the set up was still in its finishing stages. It was a concert that made us re-believe our strengths & bring out the best from us & this would not have happened without the DNA Managers who stood the heat & the rain to make the set up happen & bring it to life... An audience of 25,000 at the concert & it was a treat to hear all the fans sing in unison along with Metallica to create history in Bangalore.” - Ashwin BN, DNA team, Bangalore

“Metallica 2011 was my first concert ever. I remember vividly every last detail about that day. I had turned 16 two weeks before the concert and on that day, I was accompanied by my aunt, uncle and cousins. We (my cousins and I) promptly separated from the responsible adults and my cousins and I, ended up in front of the barricade to the section in front of the stage. The guards there weren't letting anyone without a wristband in. As time passed, the crowd outside the barricade increased tenfold. This unruly crowd of which my cousins and I were a part were bubbling with excitement and ended up pushing the guards and entering anyway. Funnily enough I was still outside and it took another wave for me to get in. The most beautiful place to be that night in Bangalore was at palace grounds. A memory I'll never let go of, is singing the "memory remains" with the crowd at the end of the song. Singing with at least another 50k people was simply soul stirring. There was something electric about the setting in general. James, Kirk, Robert and Lars were brilliant that night. Biffy Clyro opened for them that night. I recently moved to Glasgow and incidentally the first concert I'll be attending here is theirs on the 9th. :) Funny how life comes full circle”. - Ravi Vasista, Glasgow

“Traffic near the venue (Palace Grounds) was jam-packed, but I managed to get there relatively easily as I live close by. Once there, I watched two bands - Inner Sanctum and Biffy Clyro - play the supporting slots. Sanctum had a good crowd, but by the time Clyro got on stage, the crowd became impatient and was having none of it – which is a shame, because they are a great band! The hazards of being a supporting band, I suppose. Regardless, the wait was worth it. The moment the opening riff of "Creeping Death" kicked in, the entire place went electric. Metallica was finally here after years of waiting and hoping on the part of myself and the fans! It was a dream come true, right from the start, the entire crowd singing along to the melody of "One" and finally ending with "Seek and Destroy". Their set was PERFECT. In the end, Lars Ulrich promised that Metallica would be back, and that's still a promise in the air as far as I'm concerned. The Metallica show became the last concert of its kind to ever be held in Palace Grounds. It was the end of an era, though we didn't know it at the time. Although I have accepted that, I sometimes do hope it's not permanent." - Sairaj Kamath, Bangalore

“First concert I was allowed to go without having a chaperone with me, so I went absolutely crazy. Made a ton of friends, grew my hair out just so I could headbang for the 2.5 hours that they played, and then got to see the band up close, while they were leaving the venue. It was truly one of the best concerts I’ve seen!” - Vishnu, Bangalore

Concert video description:
Thousands of people head bang to heavy metal legends Metallica’s guitarist Kirk Hammett, drummer Lars Ulrich, lead vocalist James Hetfield and bassist Robert Trujillo. Metallica speaks to the crowd “we’ve waited for so long to see your faces man.. thank you India for the love, and the loyalty and the patience to wait..for your family Metallica.. and together we are strong and this is the song, we all sing.. seek and destroy.” Audience holds up the Indian flag and the guitarists play electric sounds.

Iron Maiden

Bangalore, Palace Grounds, Somewhere Back in Time World Tour 2009, Rock n' India festival, 2009

For more than 40 years, the British band Iron Maiden has been rocking sold out headline stadiums, arenas and festival shows across the world. The band has played for close to two million ecstatic fans, from every culture, generation, and time-zone.

The crowd eagerly awaited the evening, guessing what the rock legends of Iron Maiden would play and with which guitars they would perform. Huge banners with Iron Maiden symbols like the Eye of Horus and their mascot Eddie greeted the masses at the venue. As soon as the music rose from the speakers, a sea of heavy metal Satan fingers could be seen above the heads of the crowd, as Iron Maiden head banged to the guitars. This performance was part of the second edition of Rock n' India, which included ten other local bands.

Concert video description:
The crowd is at the concert venue and engaging in bungee jumping and displaying posters of Iron Maiden. The video changes from day to night and Iron Maiden begins to perform.

Santana ft. The Product G&B

Bangalore, Bhartiya City, Vladivar Rock n' India, 2012

Santana, simultaneously the namesake of guitarist Carlos Santana and name of the band, were already performing for about 50 years when they played in 2012 in Bangalore. Originally they were pioneers of psychedelic rock, whereas later they ushered Latin rock into the mainstream at their breakthrough performance in Woodstock in 1969.

Shortly after the metal band Slayer performed in Bangalore, Santana and Product Ghetto & Blues played at Bhartiya City, Thanisandra Road. Santana brought singer Tripriti Kahrbangar from the band Soulmate, from Shillong on stage to perform with them and the iconic sounds of the guitar could be heard from far away, creating an insane atmosphere among the audience.

Concert video description:
The crowd claps, takes flash photos on their phone as Santana plays a tune on his guitar. We hear alternating guitars, drums, saxophones and piano as Product G & B sing the lyrics to “Maria Maria”.

Black Eyed Peas

Bangalore, Palace Grounds, Black Blue & You Tour, 2007

Over the past 25 years, the Los Angeles trio, will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, have performed under the popular name Black Eyed Peas. As six-time GRAMMY® Award winners, the band has left an indelible mark on the landscape of hip hop and pop music. Keeping up with the changing times, they emerged as the second best-selling artist/group of all-time for downloaded tracks and landed on Billboard’s ‘Hot 100 Artists of the Decade’.

The two superstar rappers will.i.am and Taboo heated up the Bangalore audience and their haunting voices boomed out of the sound system: "Say what, say what?” Singer and songwriter Fergie and rapper apl.de.ap took the stage and performed songs like "Where is the love?", "My humps" and "Let's get it started" and definitely got the party going in Bangalore that night.

Concert video description:
Blue lights surround the band and the crowd while Taboo moves back and forth to “oo..oooo..oo” Fergie and Will.i.am sing “no, no, no, no baby.. no, no, no, no don’t lie”. Fergie holds her cap and swings to the music.

Aerosmith

Bangalore, Palace Grounds, Greatest Hits 2007 World Tour, 2007

The Boston-based quintet Aerosmith were one of the most popular hard rock bands of the 1970s, setting the style and sound of hard rock and heavy metal for the next two decades while also being known for their heartbreaking piano ballads, orchestrated with strings and distorted guitars.

Hard rock music icons Tom Hamilton, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford and Joey Kramer performed in India for the first time in 2007. Rock and Roll fans from all over the country came to Bangalore to hear them perform songs like “Dream on”, “Crazy”, “Sweet emotion” and “Falling in love” in a concert that lasted well over two hours.

“I remember enjoying the gig from the sound booth. Terrific performance. Also, around that time I used to go to international bands’ gigs only if someone sponsored the ticket. For this one I shelled out the full amount! Yeah, I was desperate to see Aerosmith Live! :)” - Gladvin Lawrence, Bangalore

Concert video description:
Steven Tyler repeats “dream on” multiple times as his voice goes very low. The volume of guitars takes over Tyler’s voice. Wearing torn jeans and a black vest, Tyler picks up the mike and sways with it to lyrics like “yeaaa” and finally puts the mike stand on his shoulders.

Santana ft. The Product G&B

Bangalore, Bhartiya City, Vladivar Rock n' India, 2012

Santana, simultaneously the namesake of guitarist Carlos Santana and name of the band, were already performing for about 50 years when they played in 2012 in Bangalore. Originally they were pioneers of psychedelic rock, whereas later they ushered Latin rock into the mainstream at their breakthrough performance in Woodstock in 1969.

Shortly after the metal band Slayer performed in Bangalore, Santana and Product Ghetto & Blues played at Bhartiya City, Thanisandra Road. Santana brought singer Tripriti Kahrbangar from the band Soulmate, from Shillong on stage to perform with them and the iconic sounds of the guitar could be heard from far away, creating an insane atmosphere among the audience.

Concert video description:
The crowd claps, takes flash photos on their phone as Santana plays a tune on his guitar. We hear alternating guitars, drums, saxophones and piano as Product G & B sing the lyrics to “Maria Maria”.

Metallica

Bangalore, Palace Grounds, Rock n India, 2011

Metallica is one of the most influential and successful rock bands in history. The album Metallica, which is commonly referred to as The Black Album, was released in 1991 and sold nearly 17 million copies in the United States alone. In December 2013, Metallica made history when they performed a rare concert in Antarctica.

“A sea of fans, one voice & an unparalleled energy to catch the idols performing live... Fans queued up outside the gate from the previous night itself, while the set up was still in its finishing stages. It was a concert that made us re-believe our strengths & bring out the best from us & this would not have happened without the DNA Managers who stood the heat & the rain to make the set up happen & bring it to life... An audience of 25,000 at the concert & it was a treat to hear all the fans sing in unison along with Metallica to create history in Bangalore.” - Ashwin BN, DNA team, Bangalore

“Metallica 2011 was my first concert ever. I remember vividly every last detail about that day. I had turned 16 two weeks before the concert and on that day, I was accompanied by my aunt, uncle and cousins. We (my cousins and I) promptly separated from the responsible adults and my cousins and I, ended up in front of the barricade to the section in front of the stage. The guards there weren't letting anyone without a wristband in. As time passed, the crowd outside the barricade increased tenfold. This unruly crowd of which my cousins and I were a part were bubbling with excitement and ended up pushing the guards and entering anyway. Funnily enough I was still outside and it took another wave for me to get in. The most beautiful place to be that night in Bangalore was at palace grounds. A memory I'll never let go of, is singing the "memory remains" with the crowd at the end of the song. Singing with at least another 50k people was simply soul stirring. There was something electric about the setting in general. James, Kirk, Robert and Lars were brilliant that night. Biffy Clyro opened for them that night. I recently moved to Glasgow and incidentally the first concert I'll be attending here is theirs on the 9th. :) Funny how life comes full circle”. - Ravi Vasista, Glasgow

“Traffic near the venue (Palace Grounds) was jam-packed, but I managed to get there relatively easily as I live close by. Once there, I watched two bands - Inner Sanctum and Biffy Clyro - play the supporting slots. Sanctum had a good crowd, but by the time Clyro got on stage, the crowd became impatient and was having none of it – which is a shame, because they are a great band! The hazards of being a supporting band, I suppose. Regardless, the wait was worth it. The moment the opening riff of "Creeping Death" kicked in, the entire place went electric. Metallica was finally here after years of waiting and hoping on the part of myself and the fans! It was a dream come true, right from the start, the entire crowd singing along to the melody of "One" and finally ending with "Seek and Destroy". Their set was PERFECT. In the end, Lars Ulrich promised that Metallica would be back, and that's still a promise in the air as far as I'm concerned. The Metallica show became the last concert of its kind to ever be held in Palace Grounds. It was the end of an era, though we didn't know it at the time. Although I have accepted that, I sometimes do hope it's not permanent." - Sairaj Kamath, Bangalore

“First concert I was allowed to go without having a chaperone with me, so I went absolutely crazy. Made a ton of friends, grew my hair out just so I could headbang for the 2.5 hours that they played, and then got to see the band up close, while they were leaving the venue. It was truly one of the best concerts I’ve seen!” - Vishnu, Bangalore

Concert video description:
Thousands of people head bang to heavy metal legends Metallica’s guitarist Kirk Hammett, drummer Lars Ulrich, lead vocalist James Hetfield and bassist Robert Trujillo. Metallica speaks to the crowd “we’ve waited for so long to see your faces man.. thank you India for the love, and the loyalty and the patience to wait..for your family Metallica.. and together we are strong and this is the song, we all sing.. seek and destroy.” Audience holds up the Indian flag and the guitarists play electric sounds.

Slayer

Bangalore, Bhartiya City, Vladivar Rock n’ India, 2012

The American thrash metal band Slayer, were one of the most distinctive, influential, and extreme bands of the 1980s. Their lyrics did not shy away from graphic descriptions of death and dismemberment, to war and the horrors of hell. Their powerful performances were heavy on chaotic guitar solos, and they created chilling sonic backgrounds. The band’s unforgettable chronicling of the dark side remains as one of their most significant contributions to the history of music.

Slayer on stage was a complete success for Vladivar Rock n' India Festival and the band ended the concert with encores like the classic “Raining Blood”. It was perhaps fitting that the light drizzle that lasted throughout the evening complemented the stage effects for a psychedelic night.

Concert video description:
The crowd screams, the guitarist yells “are you ready?” - this is followed by heavy metal noises and lyrics. Two guitarists play electric guitars as the drummer plays the drums in the background.

Sir Elton John

Bangalore, Palace Grounds, 2002

Sir Elton John was a child prodigy who mastered piano at the age of 11 and released his first international hit on pop rock in 1970. As a self taught pianist, he is known to compose music quicker than others, sometimes even in 15 minutes. John has not only had more than 50 hits in his career but has also composed music for hard rock bands, hip hop artists and staged musicals.

Clad in a glittering turquoise suit, Sir Elton John performed a three hour set in front of 20,000 fans at the Bangalore Palace grounds, singing his greatest hits and ballads like “Your Song”, “Nikita” and “Rocket Man”. His customised piano was flown in on a private jet, and he greeted the crowds on stage with “Happy Deepavali”.

Concert video description:
Elton John closes his eyes and plays the piano. We move between a close up of the piano, John’s hands and the mike as he performs the lyrics to Daniel. As John sings “Daniel, my brother, I miss you so much” a background of electric blue screen appears.

Bryan Adams

Bangalore, Palace Grounds, India Live Tour, 2004

The Canadian singer and songwriter, Bryan Adams had more than a million hits to his album Reckless which was released in 1984. Adams was known for going deeper into sub genres of rock such as soft rock, arena rock and pop rock.

Everyone recognized Bryan Adams’ “Summer of 69” and “18 till I die” even before he began the first line. The crowd was completely in sync with the riffs of Adams’ guitar. When he sang “Oh the way you held my hand” the crowd, enthused, responded “I knew that it was now or never” and together they hummed “those were the best days of my life!”. Green and orange sepia toned lights evoked a sense of nostalgia in the crowd.

Concert video description:
Adams plays the song “18 till I die” on his guitar, the crowd screams as Adams sings the lyrics “I wanna be young for the rest of my life”. The video moves between coloured and black and white images throughout the concert.

Shakira

Mumbai, MMRDA Grounds, Oral Fixation Tour, 2007

Shakira has been a global superstar for over two decades, combining her ability to sing and dance into a unique musical act. Her music can be best described as eclectic, often mixing Latin rhythms with rock and guitar. Her effortless transitions between belly dancing to intense guitar playing have kept audiences on their feet.

South American singer Shakira shook the crowd not just with her music but also with her belly dancing to songs like “Hips don’t lie'' and “Whenever wherever”. She wore a shiny guitar around her neck as she sang, danced and swayed to the music. The audience was enthralled by her endless energy and the stage production which included giant screens and colourful lighting.

Concert video description:
Electric sounds and flickering lights as Shakira sings and spins. She ends the performance by interacting with the audience and tells them “No fighting! I love you India! Shukriya!”.

Deep Purple

Bangalore, Cathedral School Grounds, 2006

Deep Purple was born at a time when loud hard rock music was important to express people’s emotions in the form of subcultures. With punk influences, they intelligently infused space rock with heavy metal and gained popularity amongst an army of fans.

"This brought back memories of our first ever rock concert, not counting the college rock shows. 14 of us straight out of college and our first jobs, virgins to rock concerts, were enthralled by the live experience of singing ‘Smoke on the water… Fire in the Sky’. We thought life is full of concerts. 20 years later, lots of concerts, job losses, changes, families later, it is still a magical evening that I will never forget. Three out of the group of 14, never went to any other concert. These friends are hoping to have their own magical concerts somewhere in another space and dimension." - Aparna, Bangalore

Concert video description:
The lights flicker and the lead singer Ian Gillan starts to sing, “we ended up at the Grand Hotel, it was empty, cold, and bare” and the crowd finished the lyrics with “fire in the sky”. Guitars and drums play in the background.