The band doing the honours was British act Breathe – The Floyd Sound. Apparently, this wasn’t their first time in India. Looking at their past gigs, Breathe – The Floyd Sound has toured India every year since 2008 — mostly doing college festivals and clubs. Hey, you got to start somewhere right?
The concert venue was the same, the UB City Amphitheatre.
There was quite a crowd (Photograph by Loiyumba)I love that they had this pig up in the sky (Check out the album cover of 'Animals' if you don't get the referance) Given the popularity of Pink Floyd in India, I wasn't surprised to see a lot more people turn up for this gig (Photograph by Loiyumba)Ducati were one of the sponsors (Photograph by Loiyumba)The sound engineer was in the right frame of mind
With the sun set, it was time to set the stage & check the lights
The show began with the opening act — rajeev’s Wolfpack.
The lead singer is Rajeev... so I guess that makes the rest his WolfpackThey performed at the Led Zepplica gig as well. Doing mostly covers of U2 songs.They did play a few of their own compositions this time thoughBefore ending their set with The Proclaimers' "I'm Gonna Be (500 miles)"
As it neared 8pm, Breathe – The Floyd Sound finally hit the stage.
And they kicked off with...
Then followed it up with:
“Time”
“Money”
I didn’t record every song in full and I don’t remember the exact sequence, but here are some of the songs myself & Loiyumba did record:
“Hey You”
“Brain Damage”
“Breathe”
After going through classics from ‘Dark Side of the Moon,’ they performed tracks from the Syd Barrett-era.
The late Syd Barrett, former front man of Pink FloydThey even performed "Arnold Layne," Pink Floyd's very first single
The one song every Bangalorean was waiting to sing along to…
On lead guitars, Andy Fenton. He did an impeccable job recreating Pink Floyd's guitar sounds!
Band introductions and ‘thank you’s… and “Wish You Were Here”
“Run Like Hell”
Breathe the Floyd Sound ended the night with one of the greatest rock songs ever…
Unfortunately, my camera battery signalled that it was about to die. Which is why I ended up recording the final performance of the night on my phone.
With that, the Pink Floyd tribute concert came to an end
As was the case with the Led Zepplica gig last month, I’ll never get to see the real Pink Floyd play live. Apart from old age, the relationship between David Gilmour and Roger Waters is still a strained one. Heck, and I’m a guy who can just do with David Gilmour! (Sorry Roger Waters fans, he sounds terrible now — and I rate David Gilmour to be the better guitarist)
None the less, this was another great tribute concert from Gigbox. The crowd was better — except for the idiots who expected everyone to sit down for a rock concert — and there were no sound issues this time around. I wonder who they plan on bringing next.
Not only so they do awesome covers, in 2009 they released their own album called Feel the Steel. This was their first single off the album:
Other good songs are “Community Property” and my favourite, “Party All Day“. I’d love to see them live in Bangalore performing 80’s greatest rock hits! But I’m not sure their humour will appeal to everybody (conservative women, parents who thought it was a smart idea to bring their kids to a rock concert, guys who don’t get sarcasm, etc.)
These guys have balls… they went to Tokyo and performed a song called “Asian Hooker“!
Organized by Gigbox, a relatively new player in the concert scene, the Led Zepplica concert was held at the UB City amphitheatre last month. I figured I’ll never see Led Zeppelin live in concert so what the heck, might as well see a tribute band. Got to love the name: Led Zeppelin + replica = Led Zepplica!
Clever 🙂
There were two opening acts before Led Zepplica hit the stage. First up, a young Bangalore-based band called Fahrenheit.
Fahrenheit take the stageThey mostly played their own original compositions...... & they were quite goodNext up was this frustrated dude and his bandThe band was called rajeev's Wolfpack -- and they mostly played U2 covers
The lead vocalist did forget some of the words, but they get props from me for playing U2’s older hits such as “I Will Follow” & “‘Bullet the Blue Sky” before moving to more recent fare like “Vertigo“. I was happy to hear those songs but to keep the masses awake, they had to play the pub-staple “With or Without You“.
As it neared 8:30pm, Led Zepplica took to the stage.
They kicked things off with "Rock 'n' Roll"
Here’s a video of some of the first few songs Led Zepplica performed:
Lead vocalist Joe Retta playing Robert PlantOn lead guitars, Lenny Mann, playing the role of legendary Jimmy PageBassist Johnny Bruhns, playing Led Zeppelin's John Paul JonesAnd finally, playing the role of the late great John Bonham, Daryl Johnson on drums
Here are some more videos:
“Dazed & Confused”
John Bonham’s greatest moment — “Moby Dick”
“Stairway to Heaven”
Their encore performance included:
“Kashimir”
“Whole Lotta Love”
... and with that, the show came to an end
Though the gig was 2 hours long, Led Zepplica still didn’t play classics like “Since I’ve Been Loving You” or my favourite, “Trampled Under Foot”. But I figured it’s not possible to cram every Led Zep classic in a standard 2 hour show. Their catalogue of great rock requires at least half a day!
Led Zeppelin are the greatest hard rock band of all time. A band who were way ahead of their time — and legends in the world of rock. They broke up soon after John Bonham died and though Robert Plant & Jimmy Page did make music as a duo and even released an Unplugged album, the band never toured as Led Zeppelin for 19 years until 2007. That year, all three living members, along with John Bonham’s son Jason Bonham, got together for their reunion gig at London’s O2 Arena to pay tribute to Atlantic Records’ founder Ahmet Ertegun.
Since that show, there were persistent rumours of Led Zeppelin doing a world tour but rumours about Robert Plant’s unwillingness to do so, shot down the chances of that happening. So for me, seeing a decent tribute band was the next best thing.
The tickets were Rs. 500 for the ‘General’ seating but we got them for Rs. 300 via Taggle.com. Come Feb 26th, Gigbox is holding another tribute concert. This time for another legendary British rock band: Breathe – the Floyd Sound.
If you are wondering “Errr…. where’s Day 1?,” well, I wanted to push this one out because it contains a large chunk of why I was in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for a second time this year. Long story short, I won a contest on VH1 to fly all the way to Abu Dhabi during F1 weekend to watch Linkin Park, one of my favourite bands, live in concert.
All the details of how I got here will be in the Day 1 post. [EDIT: Day 1 is now live]
Since we had shopped a bit yesterday, we had to spend the morning trying to find a carton to fit all of our IKEA shopping. We met up with my friend Azhad who took us to a cargo shop to find us a large box. After we bought one, we made our way back and then headed out for lunch.
For lunch, Azhad took us to a Syrian restaurant in Al Rigga.
This was the restaurantAnd that is a LOT of meatAzhad and my brother Nithin at the table to the left
As fans of Arabian cuisine, we ordered a few items unaware of just how much food was coming our way.
First up: Lentil soup (dal)Then, salad and a diamond shaped breadNext, fattoush saladWith healthy supply of kuboos (Arabian bread)Then our juices (the green one’s Kiwi fruit; it’s what I ordered)After that, our hummus with mutton kheema & grated almonds…and finally, the ‘main course’ — one full grilled chicken
By the time our ‘main course’ arrived, my hunger was already taken care of. All I could think of was ‘how the hell we were going to finish that bird!’.
And just as we began to dig into it, I get a call. It was our taxi driver, for our pick up. We had to tell him to wait at least 15 minutes as we were having lunch… and that we had an entire chicken to go through.
Sadly, even 10 minutes in, we knew it was hopeless. We would have needed at least an hour of slow eating to finish all the food that was on our table. Or according to Azhad, we needed our friend Jassim.
The bill came to around Rs. 1200, very reasonable considering what we ordered was enough to feed 4 to 5 people. After we paid up, we quickly made our way back to our hotel where our taxi was waiting for us.
Now, we were expecting a taxi. We weren’t really expecting this:
This was our ride
Not bad. Not bad at all.
We dashed off to Abu Dhabi via Sheikh Zayed Road.
The Emirates twin towersThis is what Dubai’s metro stations look likeConstruction activity has slowed down…… because there is still plenty of over-supplyStill no takers
We drove past the impressive Dubai Marina and entered Jebel Ali zone.
Seen at Ibn Battuta Mall
Okay, so our limo wasn’t as pimp as this one…Not a whole lot to see on Sheikh Zayed road…… besides cars
Sheikh Zayed Road is one heck of a highway. For one, it’s really straight. So it’s filled with a lot of speeding cars. And despite being extremely wide, and UAE’s strict code on the way you drive — accidents are still common.
We lay witness to one one this trip.
A Toyota Yaris lost control, swerved right across two lanes, rams into a Mercedes convertible, and dangerously reverses back on to the highway. Everybody brakes. Fortunately we were slightly far behind and the Yaris did eventually come to a stand still.
The Merc that got rammed intoDunno how he lost control
The police car quickly made its way towards the accident site…
…from *another* accident it was tending to
So yeah, just because you have awesome roads, don’t assume its accidents-free.
An hour-long drive later, we were in Abu Dhabi.
Damn you IKEA! Here too?!La Rossa — the fastest roller coaster ride in the world, part of Ferrari World
We actually asked our driver to drop us at Ferrari World because we had time and didn’t want to head to the Yas Marina Circuit so early. Plus I had to check it out, sine the last time I was, it was still under construction.
The entrance leads you to a mini-mallBut a lot of stores were yet to open
The ticket counter is to the rightThey have a pretty big Ferrari store to the left
This was in front of the Ferrari store
You pass these gates to enter the theme park
After checking out the store, I made my way to the ticket counter. The tickets to Ferrari World come in ‘general’ and ‘premium’ classes — the only difference being the premium admission give you access to a VIP lounge. Otherwise the general admission costs AED225 (Rs. 2500) and entitles you to unlimited rides. Not bad, compared to how expensive other world class theme parks cost.
But I still felt compelled to ask the ticket receptionist if it was worthwhile if we went in today. She replied that we’d need at least 2 hours to go through the whole place (Ferrari World is the largest indoor theme park in the world). Also, the main attraction at Ferrari World: La Rossa — the fastest roller coaster in the world, wasn’t (let’s just say) functioning perfectly. There were stopping it intermittently to run check ups.
Now, I know Ferrari World had just opened during this year’s Grand Prix race, but I didn’t feel like paying AED225 to be a crash test dummy at 250 kmph. So I decided to skip it and check it out next year. Hopefully by then all the chinks are sorted out.
We made our way outThat’s me ^_^There was an open area we felt like checking out
My brother Nithin
It was nearing 5pm at this point, so we decided to leave.
They had buses to Yas Marina CircuitThe buses go all around the circuit stopping at all the entry pointsWe got down at the North Gate entranceWhich isn’t very far from Ferrari World
This is what you get as you pass the gates: ear plugs and a guideThis is where Linkin Park is going to perform
It was time to go in
They were running a sound check and you could hear Chester test his vocalsThis is the lounge area for North Grand Stand ticket holders
This was the view from our seat
And this is the action we saw:
Our seats were great, we were at the grand stand at the North section of the track. The vantage point is a good one as you get to see the cars coming in from a distance (though in a matter seconds, they’re already at the turn) and then you have the long straight stretch where you get to see them accelerate.
First thing that really hits you is the noise. I experienced this during the Singapore F1 back in September. I loved it there, I loved it here as well. Of course, you have to love cars to to enjoy the sound of a lightning fast engine. Otherwise you’d be deemed ‘weird’.
Since this was the crucial final race of the season, the Brits obviously had Lewis Hamilton’s backNot that the Spaniards and Canadians were far behindThey had screens broadcasting the rest of the circuit
They had commentary on the speakers too, but because of the noise from the cars, you won’t hear it until the cars pass.
Red Bull racing was doing pretty wellForce India wasn’t doing that bad either
After seeing cars zipping by and listening to engines for nearly an hour, I went inside the lounge to have some of the gourmet food on offer.
Gourmet food in very tiny portions I might add. But you can take as much as you wanted.
The whole affair was very posh, with German waitresses and what looked like local celebrities (or posh posers) in the lounge.
After having a bite and drink, as I walked back, I suddenly stopped. And I do mean suddenly stopped. I literally froze.
I turned to my left and in front of me were two guys. One, a fairly large, tattooed white bald white dude and next to him, a regular looking Asian guy, fairly tall. Dressed in formals, he looked like a guy who probably worked in an IT firm. I looked at him and they both looked back at me. The white dude sitting next to him nodded as if to say: “No”.
But in my excitement, I said ‘hi’ and that I had one question to ask him. I began to prep the camera when he smiled and said: “No Interviews”. The bodyguard was about to get up so I put my camera away and just asked him. He answered and then I asked him if I could take a photograph. The bodyguard said “No,” but he said “It’s fine,” gave my camera to his bodyguard and asked him to take our photograph.
The bodyguard pressed the shutter and it didn’t click. The guy joked: “He’s not very good at this” and asked his bodyguard to take the shot again.
So who was the guy?
None other than Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park! The ONE guy I was hoping to meet!
I thanked Mike and told him how much I liked their new album and said: “Keep experimenting” to which he smiled and said “Thanks”.
First impressions. Wow, he’s taller than I thought (I’m 5′ 6″). Plus, he’s changed a lot since his Hybrid Theory days.
Oh, what was the one question I wanted to ask him and finally could?
“When is Linkin Park coming to India?”
Mike said they needed find the right promoter and figure out the logistics to try and cram it into their tour schedule. It wasn’t a very convincing answer so I asked him whether they had ever considered touring India, to which Mike replied: “Oh yeah! Of course!”. I told him Linkin Park has such a huge fan base in India and he nodded his head: “I know…” with a smile. He said it will happen and assured me the band would tour India — but he just couldn’t tell me when.
Oh well, at least he knows we’re dying to see the band live in India.
As I went back to my seat, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. When I got the call from Vh1 telling me I had won, I was so hoping to meet the band. But I was informed there would be no meet & greet. And despite all that, I still got to meet the one guy I wanted to talk to. I know for a lot of girls its Chester Bennington, but for many hardcore LP fans, it’s Mike Shinoda — the unofficial spokesperson and leader of the band.
I told my brother Mike Shinoda was inside and he got a glimpse of him too, but neither of us disturbed him again.
The race was at its final laps
The qualifiers had ended; Vettel took pole postion with Lewis Hamilton in secondThat’s the kind of lenses you need to cover an F1 race
We got up from our seats and went back into the lounge to get a good view of where we were heading next.
There were people already making a beeline for the concert gates
As I walked out I saw Mike again… and Dave Farrell, the band’s bassist! Dave smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up, probably after noticing my Linkin Park t-shirt and I wished him all the best for the show and that I was looking forward to it. I was tempted to ask for a photograph again but the bodyguard kept looking at me everytime I passed by. Oh well, he’s doing his job.
Walking towards the venue, I came prepared and fully charged with my camera and lenses… but unfortunately, there was dude announcing on the speakerphone that DSLRs and other high end cameras were not allowed in. Crap.
So, I hesitantly hand over my camera to the counter and make my through the gates. Hundreds were getting their alcohol (on sale for 21 and over only) and though there were a lot of people at the venue, everybody had enough space to move about freely.
Me and my brother chose a spot a bit far away from the speakers and right in the middle.
They were showing promos of who all had come before… (yes, the Jonas Brothers were here before LP)
We could have gone further up front but I was going to be recording videos on my phone and staying too close to the speakers only meant “brrrrr brrrr” in recordings.
The stage itself, as you can see above, was quite impressive.
They had a DJ spin out some good hip hop to warm up the crowd.
After half an hour or so, the DJ leaves the stage. The crew come on, clear everything and the crowd begin to cheer. A lighting rig comes all the way down, two guys get into seats on either side and the rig goes up again.
After some more waiting, finally, the show begins:
They opened with The Catalyst, the first single off their latest album A Thousand Suns.
After that, the crowd went crazy for the next song
And when I mean ‘crowd,’ I mean me, my brother and a few young Arabs around me. I was seriously aghast the whole crowd wasn’t jumping up & down.
But then again I reminded my self that this concert was only open to Formula 1 ticket holders, most of whom were 30-plus. Not exactly your core Linkin Park fanbase.
Man, Chester can scream his face off!
I didn’t record every song in full, intentionally. I had to conserve my phone battery and I didn’t feel right about recording the entire concert as though I was going to bootleg this or something.
“Hey, I met that guy!” 😛The awesome Mr. Hahn
Of course, some songs I had to record in full.
The lighting was just as good as the music
This was the ending set:
After a very brief break, the band were back on stage for the encore.
First, they performed one of my favourite songs from the new album:
…before closing out the show with some more of their biggest hits!
Nearly an hour and 45 minutes later, the show was over. In that time, they played pretty much all their singles (except for “Breaking the Habit“). The band said their goodbyes and left the stage. Everyone except Mike Shinoda that is, who would spend nearly 10 minutes or so shaking hands and greeting fans in the front row. What an awesome guy.
We left Yasalam, collected my camera bag and managed to contact our taxi driver who had come all the way from Dubai to pick us up.
They had plenty of buses plying from the venue to Abu Dhbai city and DubaiBut there were quite a lot of people queuing up for themWe had nothing to worry about…… ‘cos we had comfortable private ride back to Dubai. Tee hee.It was past 11pm, time to leave Yas Marina Circuit and Abu Dhabi
As we drove back, I couldn’t help but think back on the past few hours. Sure, we were tired as hell, but what a weekend! Landed in Dubai yesterday, went around, shopped, today witnessed a Formula One race on a Rs. 40, 000 ticket (which we got for free) and then watched one of my favourite bands perform live (again, for free)! But most of all, the moment that did it for me, I met Mike Shinoda and got a photo with him! That was good enough.
On one hand, I enjoyed a evening with a decent crowd with no pushing or shoving and an amazing stage setup. On the other hand, the concert could have used a better crowd. But thinking about it, I can’t fathom how much I would have hated the first Linkin Park concert in India — with thousands of their young fans who are going to go absolutely apeshit because they waited for so long to finally get a glimpse of their rock idols. (I pray Linkin Park plays at least 3 venues when they land in India)
Every artist uses the “We’ll be back” line at the end of their concerts. Some do, some don’t. Linkin Park will be back in UAE for sure. And next time, it will surely be for their real UAE fans at some event more suitable like the Desert Rock Festival or a stand alone concert.
An hour of cruising at a 100kmph later, we were in Dubai
Once back in our hotel, we quickly went out again to grab some shawarmas and some juice for dinner. We didn’t have anything planned for tomorrow other than packing and heading to the hotel.
Yeah, it would have been nice if we could have stayed back one more day, saw the Sunday race and watched Prince perform afterwards. (We had tickets for all 4 days; Kanye West performed on Friday but we couldn’t have been bothered to drive all the way to Dubai for his inflated ego). But I just couldn’t afford to. I had to head back to office on Monday and then on Tuesday night, had to catch my postponed flight to Thailand for my next trip.
All in all, a hectic but memorable experience.
Oh, and finally, thanks VH1 India! (Especially Aparna)
