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 As I was cycling up to work I was wondering how to describe a concert with a legend called Ian Anderson and a daughter of a legend Anoushka Shankar. That's when it hit me, maybe we have too many expectations of legends.
The audience was definitively divided into 2 distinct groups. The first hard core Tull cult fans. The second group 'heard of Tull' and know Aqualung but favor Anoushka and Tanmoy Bose (yes, he jammed too). Being in the music business I fall somewhere in between.
The celebrity turnout was tepid at best, perhaps because of the cloudy skies, a non understanding of the music by the glitterati or a presumption that this lineup was weaker-than-usual.
It was disappointing that even though the tickets said 7:30pm the concert started at 6.45pm. Clearly bad organisation! The air around the concert arena was panicky as the crowd jostled for seats and a better view.
Thankfully we had seats right up in the front (plush with clean white cloth draped on them). But somewhere along the concert I did wish I was on the other side... standing... grooving to the music and maybe enjoying the concert more.
I sneaked out for a couple of minutes during a break and managed my way backstage. I made it all the way upto Anoushka's green room just to be stopped outside by her sweetly spoken personal manager. Another day I guess.
The second set of the Tull-Shankar concert was far more enchanting than the first. And this time the crowd was settled and not sparring for seats! Ian Anderson is the perfect entertainer. His trademark 'Krishna Pose' did manage to make you forget the fact that the average age on stage was 55, brought down courtesy Anoushka.
I guess good music is truly ageless.
It's pretty cool to watch a guy I've been listening for over two decades rise to the top of his game. Ian is a terrific performer who followed his instincts in making his music. He is the ever-impressive entertainer and creative personality, and there was much humor in his "act" too. Of course he is older now and can't quite hit those high notes. But as a band Jethro Tull delivered. I was blown away.
Ms Shankar also held her own on her solo pieces. But I am sure you will agree with me that their fusion/ jugalbandi could have been slightly more... say enchanting. Their funky Rendition of Bach's Bouree came close, but not close enough. With beautiful instruments like the flute, the wood pipes and the sitar one would have expected magic on stage. But sadly, not at a single point did the music give me goosebumps â the cold winter Bangalore air made up for it though.
It is a difficult task of connecting the Euphrates to the Indus and the Celtic to the Hindustani. And I must credit both the performers that they managed doing it almost seamlessly, but there was a certain magic missing in the concert. Or maybe the crowd just didn't understand.
A concert is usually gauged by various factors. Performance being of paramount importance, sound and visual quality come a close second. But, personally for me, a concert is successful only if the audience reacts and connects with the performers. Did the histrionics of Ian Anderson actually get a connect with the hardcore Ravi Shankar fans? Was Anoushka's head banging and vigorous neck tilting appreciated by the Tull fans?
And whether as artistes, musicians, actors, dancers, and performers in general have some purpose in this environment, is there any disconnect between the arts and the environment in which it is performed?
The piper played, the princess swayed, the crowd could have gone hysterical! Maybe Bangalore is better off at a Pussycat Dolls Concert after all. Maybe Bangalore wants its music pure and un-adulterated? Any event managers listening in?
Anjaan is Senior Programming Manager with Radio One FM 94.3. He also hosts his own shows on the station between 9pm and midnight. | 
