This 26/11 concert will gift CST an ambulance

Farhan-Ehsaan-Loy, NYC's all-girl tribute act, Lez Zeppelin, and LA-based M.A.S.S. Ensemble will perform at a charity concert. WHAT's ON tells you why you should be there

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This 26/11 concert will gift CST an ambulance

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Farhan-Ehsaan-Loy, NYC's all-girl tribute act, Lez Zeppelin, and LA-based M.A.S.S. Ensemble will perform at a charity concert. WHAT's ON tells you why you should be there

The Jethro Tull group and Anoushka Shankar were in Kolkata with Network 18's event wing, E18 when Mumbai was struck by terror. The Mumbai leg of the 4-city India tour of the much-acclaimed British rock group and the sitar virtuoso was obviously cancelled, but the two artists were brave enough to go on with the rest of it as planned. "That's when the seed of the idea was born," says National Head of Entertainment and Events at E18, Rohinton Poonawala, and the online grievance initiative, Billionhands.com was formed by Web18 to help out various citizen-related causes. Jethro Tull also donated money to the charity before taking off to the UK. In early December, activist Teesta Setalvad of Citizens for Justice and Peace brought E18's attention to theu00a0 fact that sprung from media coverage in the aftermath of the attacks. "Thirty-odd victims would still be alive if only there were a dedicated ambulance plotted at CST terminus," explains Poonawala. It's rare to hear of victims dying due to loss of blood from non-vital organs like the limbs, but that's exactly what happened because those attacked were being taken to the hospital on haath-gaadis, he adds.u00a0

E18 decided to join hands with Citizens for Justice and Peace and plan a concert to help raise money; donations rooted through Billionhands, would now directly be rooted to Cjponline.org. "We sent out feelers to Indian and international artists around the world. We got an immediate response from international artists. John Belushi of the Blues Brothers was on board. But, due to bureaucratic issues that caused a shift in dates, he was unable to make it," says Poonawala. The event company's heads Rohinton Poonawala and Farhad Wadia's (CEO, E18) initial choice for the venue was Azad Maidan, as they wanted the concert to be held closer to the sites affected by the attacks. But, they didn't manage to acquire permission from the BMC.

NY-based tribute act Lez Zeppelin
LA and NY-based bands to sing for support: NYC's all-girl tribute act, Lez Zeppelin promise to create a performance exactly like what you would expect from a Led Zep concert. "One of incredible power, intensity, sensuality and surprise a Led Zeppelin show, except with a female twist!" says the band's lead guitarist Steph. Despite their first time ever in the country, the quartet was happy to come down and perform to help raise funds, as they hadu00a0 witnessed the 9/11 attacks, a tragedy as big as the attacks in Mumbai. The group will perform works of English rock band Led Zeppelin, from every period of their career (from LZI to Coda) and in very much the same way that they did when they were touring. They use the same type of guitars, amplifiers and other instruments to get an authentic sound. And, like Led Zeppelin, the four musicians play in the moment, with improvisation and a great deal of communication and commitment on stage.

"Terrorism is based on discord. Music is based in harmony and resonance," says Andrea of LA-based group, M.A.S.S. Ensemble. MASS is an acronym for Music Architecture Sight and Sound and the multi-disciplinary performance will bring together visual and sonic art forms, including sculpture, music, architecture and dance.

"We like to perform a variety of musical styles to appeal to audience members of all ages and background. The invented long-string instruments are very orchestral in sound quality. We bring them together with the traditional guitar and drums to create classical, pop, rock, world and operatic pieces," explains Andrea.

The event organisers at E18 hope to make this initiative an annual event to raise funds for various
causes that affect commoners. Among Indian artists, Farhan-Ehsaan-Loy are part of the concert this time around. "But we are sure to get more support from Bollywood stars and other Indian musicians for our next one," says Poonawala.

Concert for Mumbai is being held on March 21 at 7.30 pm at Shri Shanmukhananda Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Auditorium, Harbanslal Marg, Sion (E). Doors open at 7 pm. Donor passes priced at Rs 650, Rs 1,000, Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,800 are available at Hiro Music, Bandra (W), Rhythm House, Kala Ghoda, and at the venue. Book online on: https://www.bookmyshow.com/.
Call: 39895050