A.R. Rahman Rocks the Hollywood Bowl

A.R. Rahman Rocks the Hollywood Bowl

By LISA TSERING
India-West Staff Reporter
Thursday, July 20, 2006

LOS ANGELES - A.R. Rahman and his orchestra launched into the opening strains of the song "Chaiyya chaiyya" in an outdoor concert at the Hollywood Bowl July 16, as twilight descended on a warm Southern California evening.

It was the defining moment of a day set to make musical history, as the 84-year-old venue - itself an icon in American music - hosted its first-ever concert devoted entirely to the music of India.

Images from Bollywood movies filled five giant al fresco movie screens as Rahman led his orchestra and some of India's top vocalists on a whirlwind ride through many of his best-loved hits from Dil Se, Taal, Rang De Basanti, Yuva, Lagaan and Roja, as well as a side journey to "Bombay Dreams" and the Chinese feature film Warriors of Heaven and Earth.

The popularity of "Bollywood at the Bowl," presented as part of KCRW-FM's 2006 World Festival, was evident by the energy of the sold-out crowd, which spanned the ethnic spectrum and got up to dance to songs like "Humma humma" and "Ramta jogi."

Rahman's performance started on a gentle note, with a flute solo from the haunting orchestral "Theme from Bombay," led by longtime Rahman conductor Srinivasa Murthy.

Rahman, diminutive yet charismatic in an ecru knee-length linen jacket over white trousers, then strode onstage and sat down at the piano, humming a jazzy interlude that soon blossomed into his trademark "Dil se re ..." and built to a crescendo as he threw his head back to cry out the chorus. Images of Shah Rukh and Manisha Koirala played overhead, and the crowd clapped along.

The show continued with "Khal bali" (Rang De Basanti), with background singers Naresh Iyer and George Peters; "Chup ke" (Saathiya) from Sadhana Sargam; and a percussive "Dhol dhol" (Yuva) from rapper Blaze.

Rahman stepped out from behind his piano to lead the vocals on "Sona sona," a wedding qawaali from his hit stage show "Bombay Dreams," and joined vocalist Anisha Nagarajan, star of its New York production, for a version of "Love's Never Easy," a poignant ballad set to the melody of "Ishq bina," segueing from her English version to his Hindi one. Nagarajan, in a brilliant blue sari, also gave an impassioned performance of the musical's stirring ballad "The journey home."

Vocalist Hariharan, sporting his trademark ferocious silver mullet and a luxurious silk Indian suit, gave a sensitive reading of the ethereal "Roja," and later Bombay's "Tu hi re" that segued into its Tamil version, "Uyire uyire."

Before singing "Deemi dheemi" (1947), he briefly mentioned, "This song is for Nandita," referring to actress Nandita Das, who was sitting in a box seat enjoying the show. Das starred in two films with Rahman soundtracks: Mani Ratnam's Kannathil Muthamittal (A Peck on the Cheek), and Deepa Mehta's 1947.

One of the most touching moments in the show was Madhushree's performance of "Kabhi neem," a song sung by a young wife praising the bittersweet qualities of her husband in Mani Ratnam's Yuva. Madhushree, whose strong, flexible soprano recalls Alka Yagnik's, was resplendent in red, and gave her loving attention to every line as her voice soared on the song's difficult and beautiful high parts.

Rahman is famously generous with his stage time - two of his sisters are even in his backup singer lineup - and as always with a Rahman show, plenty of time was given over to guest artists who made their own memorable impact on the show.

Most visible among them was Global Rhythms, an orchestra and choir from Miami University of Ohio. The group, which has accompanied Rahman in several of his live shows, plays Western instruments (the American singers learn all the Hindi and Tamil lyrics phonetically) and added a full-throttle sound to Taal's "Ramta jogi" and Lagaan's "Chale chalo."

The group also lent an exciting presence to the title track of Rang De Basanti, spurred on by the vigor of the bhangra troupe Sher Foundation and a dynamic and surprising performance in Hindi by lead vocalist John Gennett.

Raagapella, an a capella men's group from Stanford University, also accompanied the artists on "O humdum" from Saathiya.

The flamboyant Sivamani, who is a fixture in nearly every Rahman show but a new face to the Westerners in the crowd, transfixed the audience with a turbulent drum solo that earned him a well-deserved standing ovation.

The 20-member Bollywood Step Dance troupe from Southern California added sparkle to many of Rahman's numbers. Twirling and jumping, incorporating elements from Bharatnatyam to urban hip-hop in their moves, the group's presence made the difference between merely an exciting song and one with Bollywood glitz.

Musafir, a small Rajasthani folk troupe, opened the show with an over-long one-hour performance whose intimacy was inappropriate for the vastness of the venue.

Bollywood Night at the Hollywood Bowl, presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and introduced by KCRW's Tom Schnabel, wasn't as much a "typical" A.R. Rahman concert as a sampler created with a mix of listeners in mind. So instead of plumbing the depths of Rahman's repertoire, the artists ran the breadth of it - a dim sum banquet of musical delights.
:by indiawest