ADITI SARAWAGI
There is something about live music shows which cannot be matched
with even with the best music systems in the world. The energy
and the vibe of not only the artist but thousands of fans create
an unmatched experience. Not to forget the thrill of seeing one’s
favourite artist live and exclusive in front of your eyes. Apart from
the musicians, the music and the fans, there is another component
which can add that much more depth to a performance-the concert
venue. In recent times, India has hosted a slew of live shows being
performed across the country by indie musicians, national as well as
by international artists. Starting this month, in a two-part series, the
focus will be on music venues-iconic as well as the new age venues.
National Centre for Performing Arts, Mumbai
Iconic
Concert
Venues
in India
Inaugurated in 1969, NCPA,
Mumbai, is one of India’s
premiere cultural institutions.
It is considered to be one of the
city’s first live music spaces and
is known to host everything from
western classical music, Indian
classical music to even indie
bands. Located at Nariman Point,
NCPA has played host to music
maestros like Zakir Hussain,
Shivkumar Sharma, Zubin Mehta
and even new age artists like
Dualist Inquiry. It also hosts quite
a few music festivals throughout
the year and the musical
experience here is fantastic.
Mehboob Studios, Mumbai
Mehboob Studios is nothing short
of an iconic venue. Founded in
1954 by Mehboob Khan, they have
been hosting live performances
from 2010. ‘Live from the Console’
is an event hosted twice a month
on Saturdays by Sony Music
where several Indian bands
perform. They have hosted
an assortment of indie talent
including electro-pop-rock quartet
Sky Rabbit, progressive band
Goddess Gagged and gypsy punk
group Peter Cat Recording Co.
Asiatic Society Library Steps, Mumbai
The stairs of the heritage
structure-Asiatic Society,
often turns into an iconic
performance venue to host the
Kala Ghoda Arts Festival and
the Mumbai Sanskruti festival
of Hindustani classical music.
The stretch of road in front of
the library is also closed off to
make space for a stage and this
ethereal venue has seen the
likes of Sonu Nigam and even
Shivkumar Sharma performing.
Shanmukhananda Auditorium, Mumbai
Mumbai’s Shanmukhananda
Auditorium is more than sixty
years old and is the city’s largest
auditorium with a seating
capacity of 2,763 spread over
three floors. It is a popular venue
for Carnatic music. Master
percussionist Trilok Gurtu and
Grammy-winning mohan veena
player Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
have staged performances here.
This auditorium is also the
venue for the annual concert
organised by Zakir Hussain
in memory of his father Allah
Rakha Khan-an event featuring
the world’s finest musicians.
Shillong International Center of
Performing Arts and Culture
Scheduled to open this year,
Shillong International Center
of Performing Arts and Culture
or SIPAC is going to be India’s
largest concert hall with state-of-
the-art facilities and is designed
by Icelandic artist and architect
Guðjón Bjarnason. With an
indoor seating of two thousand
guests and an outdoor theatre
for twenty thousand people,
SIPAC will serve as a cultural
centre for the whole country.
These are just a few of the iconic
auditoriums in the country.
There are plenty more like the
Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao
Concert Hall in Chennai which
has hosted the German Film
Orchestra Babelsberg; the Netaji
Indoor Stadium in Kolkata, Indira
Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi;
Jio Gardens in Mumbai which
hosted Coldplay and Ed Sheeran
and innumerable memorable
locations, each with its own
uniqueness and brilliant set of
artist performances. In the next
and final part to this series, we
shall cover the new age venues
which have taken performance
and live acts to the next level.
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com
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