The joint endeavour by Hard Rock Cafe and Rolling Stone brought together musicians from some of the biggest bands in India to collaborate for the tribute and wow the fans, who had gathered at the venue in large numbers – literally lining up around the block.
Among the musicians, who participated in the concert tribute, were Bruce Lee Mani, Naveen Joseph, Prakash, Jason Zacharaiah and Rajeev Rajagopal. All of them from well-known bands in the country. They were also joined by several talented local musicians. “I have been a Dire Straits’ fan ever since I can remember and this evening is a great way to pay tribute to a genre of music that has never lost its appeal,” said Bruce Lee Mani. “We have compiled an extensive song list to make sure the evening rocks big time. Some of my personal favourites are Sultans of Swing, Money for Nothing, Brothers In Arms, Walk of Life, So Far Away, and Tunnel of Love,” he added.
The crowd was an eclectic mix of teeny boppers, die-hard rock fans and folks just out for an evening of relaxation and great music. As the group took to the stage set high above the packed floor, the fans swayed, lip synced and literally grooved to the beat of their favourite old Dire Straits’ tunes being belted out live. “I personally come here every time I visit Bangalore especially as they have some of the best music themed events,” said Suresh Bedi, a techie from Mumbai.
Local musicians joined in the performance at regular intervals lending a peppy cache to the evening. “Although this is a week day, we could not miss a live tribute to the music of Dire Straits. It is a band that we literally grew up with and in fact, Mark Knopfler, the lead guitarist and song writer was born in my hometown Glasgow,” said Rob Stewart, another die-hard fan, who was there with a big group of his buddies.