JOIN USFor three continuous days last weekend, shoppers and music lovers at Phoenix MarketCity had a gala time attending the live music concerts that were organised in the mall courtyard.
Making for an interesting space for music, the concerts proved to be exciting distractions from the mundane shopping experience.
The three days of music started with the Bangalore-based rock band ‘Girish and the Chronicles’, who performed a rock-centric and
energetic set.
While their performance included originals like ‘Ride To Hell’ and ‘Angel’, a lot of covers of bands like ‘AC/DC’, ‘Led Zeppelin’ and ‘Guns ‘N Roses’ also kept things interesting.
As for the crowd, it was a decent turnout considering the Indo-Pak cricket match taking place the same day.
On the second day, popular Nagaland-based rock band ‘Alobo Naga and The Band’ took to the stage. From original compositions like the recently-released ‘All We Have Is Words’ to Hindi song covers like Sham from ‘Aisha’ and Tu Jaane Na from Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani to ‘Coldplay’ covers, there was a wide range of music covered in their set. “We’re used to playing gigs where there’s a specific audience and it was very challenging for us to play at a mall to random people. But unexpectedly, it was really fun because we managed to get people’s attention quite early in the set and got them to sing along to even our originals,” informed Alobo after the show.
“As a band, this was the first time that we played in Bangalore. But when you play good music, it just makes people connect to you. It was nice to hear the appreciation of the locals,” he added.
Day three saw a performance by ‘Aakash Mittal and Band’, comprising Aakash Mittal on saxophone, clarinet and flute, Matt Fuller on
guitar, Jean-Luc Davis on double bass and Josh Moore on drums.
With a lot of improv to back the original compositions, he played music related to his diverse background of both American and East Indian heritage, drawing
inspiration as much from jazz and avant-garde as Indian musical traditions.
Across the three concerts, it was mostly new faces seen
at the venue everyday. But a few like Maitri said that they returned everyday to see
what was in store.
“I live extremely close to the mall and often hang out with my friends at the courtyard for the concerts. It’s a good way to get exposed to new music. I personally enjoyed ‘Aakash Mittal...’ the most because it was different from the usual cover bands and rock music you get to hear,” she said.