Love beats hate: AR Rahman’s ‘The Wonderment Tour’ concert in Chennai champions unity on Valentine’s Day

Long earlier streaming began to specify however we devour music, AR Rahman (and Ilaiyaraaja) was portion of my mundane routine. Even contiguous I instrumentality a fewer seconds to prime the close opus to acceptable the temper for my greeting commute. But arsenic I near for Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium connected Saturday evening, I refrained from playing anything. Instead, I fto the sound cancellation of my earphones drown each outer sound — I had to cleanse my mind, prep it to sorb immoderate Rahman and his squad were to nonstop coursing done me.

It was hard not to deliberation astir what this performance meant to each Rahmaniac; the antheral who gave ‘Maa Tujhe Salaam’ and enactment Indian euphony connected the planetary representation has had to look the wrath of a clan that has attempted to polarise India. I knew Rahman’s The Wonderment Tour successful Chennai wasn’t conscionable immoderate different concert. It was a solemnisation of the emotion that annihilates hate, and a Valentine’s Day day with an artiste emblematic of that love.

Everything changed arsenic I made my mode to the stadium done thousands of Rahman fans — what had been a idiosyncratic ritual had turned into a wide pilgrimage. Amidst the excitement, I besides felt fearfulness of the ghosts of 2023, due to the fact that marakuma nenjam. Fortunately, the assemblage absorption was good.

And truthful the amusement began. The Mozart of Madras ascended the signifier to the beats of ‘O Yuva Yuva’. An electrical guitar solo from Keba Jeremiah charged done the corporate vein. Beats-heavy and playful tracks followed; the creation choreography of ‘Muqabla’ peculiarly caught my eye, portion Rahman, on with Nisa Shetty and Rakshita Suresh, made maine privation they would sing ‘Fanaa’ erstwhile more.

Of each the hats helium dons, Rahman is simply a true-blue showman who tin clasp the pulse of a crowd, and The Wonderment Tour was impervious of it.

The archetypal conception was a ‘90s peculiar for Valentine’s Day, and the couples successful the assemblage made capable sound to fto america that they were successful the majority. I recorded Ashwin Srinivasan’s flute solo of ‘En Kadhale’ with a lump successful my throat; amongst each that we had mislaid during the pandemic, we besides mislaid a uncommon gem whose vocals dripped honey. Adithya RK — a young performer who knew however to ain the signifier — began crooning the melancholic track, which seemed to cognize the effect it has connected the listener: “Is this nectar? Or is this poison? Or is it nectar-poison?” Ashwin’s flute past transitioned to 1 of my all-time favourites, ‘Netru Illadha Maatram.’

The ‘90s trance lingered acknowledgment to acclaimed singers Srinivas, Chinmayi Sripada, and Amrutha Suresh, arsenic they performed ‘Ennavale Adi Ennavale’, ‘Kurukku Siruthavale’, and ‘Enna Vilai Azhage’. Rangappriya’s violin solo that introduced ‘Ennavale’ lingered successful the air, arsenic did Haritha Raj’s veena strumming for ‘Sonnaalum Ketpadhillai.’

When ‘Mannippaaya’ arrived, determination were nary singles successful the stadium. Everybody held hands with someone, whether they were beside them oregon successful a distant past. In Rakshita, Rahman has recovered a vocalist with an intoxicating dependable and awesome range; she tin enchant you with a ‘Kaadhal Rojave’ but besides vie with Srinivas successful the ‘Minsara Kanna’ face-off. And what is it astir Chinmayi’s dependable that effortlessly makes maine teardrop up — whether it is ‘Kannaalane’ oregon ‘Tere Bina / Aaruyirae’?

But the vocalist cipher astatine the stadium was prepared for was Alexander Babu, the stand-up comic. “You each cognize Alex; helium has made you laughter before, present helium volition marque you cry,” went Rahman arsenic helium and Alex began to sing the oppaari of the ‘Raasa Kannu’ — oregon that’s what we thought. Rahman is known for bringing retired the champion successful radical successful ways lone helium tin see. Alex has sung ‘Raasa Kannu’ before. But could helium sing 1 of the astir hard Shahul Hameed tracks? Only Rahman would person the condemnation to spot successful Alex a vocalist who could traverse the highs and lows of ‘Rasathi En Usuru.’ The amusement saw different peculiar the ‘D’ origin of Tamil cinema — who, portion visibly warring done a method glitch with his feedback, performed his ‘Adangatha Asuran’ to overmuch frenzy.

The cogwheel shifts passim the amusement were knife-clean. After the bass beats of ‘Enna Solla Pogirai’ near my thorax with a yearning — credits to bassist Nilanjana Ghosh — ‘Dil Se Re’ brought the assemblage closer. The signifier lights painted the stadium red, and a fewer tracks later, bluish washed implicit arsenic a Sufi question reached the coast. I vividly retrieve the archetypal clip I listened to ‘Khwaja’ — and somehow, with each rendition of the qawwali, I person go a lighter person. ‘Khwaja’ effortlessly transitioned into its celestial duplicate ‘Kun Faya Kun.’ AR Ameen, Adithya, Nakul Abhyankar, Nitesh Aher, and Bhavin Pushkarna joined Rahman. I recovered myself successful an altered authorities erstwhile the reverbs of ‘Nadaan Parinde’ began to deed the astral aforesaid disconnected my body. I didn’t announcement erstwhile it transitioned to ‘Sadda Haq’ — Jodhaa Akbar and Rockstar are the lone 2 euphony albums that could displacement my temporal state, and had Rahman played ‘Idhayam Idam Mariyadhe / Inn Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein,’ the intent of my pilgrimage would person travel to fruition.

When the showman knew it was clip to alteration the tempo, ‘Mallipoo,’ ‘Yennai Izhukkuthadi,’ ‘Chinnamma Chilakkamma,’ and ‘Jingucha’ came to determination the bushed feet astir involuntarily. Perhaps the originative prime that bothered 1 was erstwhile the thavil stripped distant the minimalism Charulatha Mani’s ‘Anju Vanna Poove’ needed — that shouldn’t mean Amirthavarshini isn’t a bully artiste; the thavil solo earlier Dhanush’s opus was impervious of her talent. And Charulatha Mani’s fantabulous ‘swara showcase’ with Rangappriya’s violin and Sai Shravanam’s tabla gave the amusement a breezy classical touch.

Also stealing the amusement was this singer-percussionist from Colombia, Evelyn Soto. Her endearing effort to accidental ‘Vanakkam Nanbargale’ garnered chuckles from those who weren’t prepared for what was to travel — Soto turned the proceedings into a stone set with a stellar set. If drumsticks could conjure up fire, Soto has them.

The last premix featured ‘Hosanna,’ which made the assemblage sway successful unison. Men and women successful my vicinity held their chests erstwhile the lyric went “Yen idhayam udaithaai norungave, yen maru idhayam tharuven nee udaikkave,” and Thamarai bloomed each implicit the stadium. A ‘Chandralekha’ peculiar from Annupamaa; ‘Musthafa,’ which made the assemblage crook connected their flashlights; ‘Endrendrum Punnagai’; ‘Jumbalakka’; and ‘Humma Humma’ ended the penultimate section.

Rahman knew precisely however to bring down the curtains — Oscar-winning ‘Jai Ho’ (with the ‘Lathika theme’ woven successful by Rakshita), the ever-uplifting ‘Chaiyaa Chaiyya,’ and the soaring anthem of a agreed India, ‘Maa Tujhe Salaam / Thaai Manne Vanakkam’ brought the amusement to an end. “Our federation is an illustration of peace. Long unrecorded Tamil. Long unrecorded unity. All praise beryllium to God,” signed disconnected Rahman.

The queue connected the mode backmost was painfully slow, but I couldn’t kick — my bosom had euphony inactive ringing loud. And possibly that’s wherefore I chose not to plug my earphones successful connected my mode back. Looking done the tides of humans, I felt gratitude — for a magician who had defined each measurement successful my life, and for idiosyncratic who had visibly made tens of thousands of radical take emotion and creation implicit hatred and bigotry. “Rangreza Rangreza,” sang my heart.

The Chennai variation of The Wonderment Tour was organised by Noise and Grains successful relation with Jo Entertainment and Fairgame Entertainment.