Parikrama redefines the rules of hard rock at Chennai gig

As dusk set in, cheers and screams echoed throughout the arena as Parikrama took the stage in Chennai. 
Parikrama rock Chennai
Parikrama rock Chennai

29th July, Chennai 2017: The whole atmosphere in Chennai on Saturday was electrifying with the crowds milling in large numbers awaiting the performance of Parikrama.

As dusk set in, cheers and screams echoed throughout the arena as Parikrama took the stage at The Courtyard in Phoenix MarketCity.

Into their 26th year, Parikrama has made a name for themselves as the country's leading independent hard rockers. Welcomed by the crowds on Saturday, was a live example of their fame and prominence.

<em>Parikrama in Chennai</em>
Parikrama in Chennai

The stage had been set up in accordance with the theme of the band which fuses together the tunes from Indian and conventional instruments, made popular by members, Nitin Malik and Mukul Jain on the vocals, Sonam Sherpa and Saurabh Choudhary on the guitars, Gaurav Balani on the bass guitar, Srijan Mahajan on the drums and accompanied by Imran Khan on the violins and Shambu Nath on tabla.

As the stage lit up, the band members took up their positions amidst roars from the crowd. Gaurav Balani strummed his bass guitar to indicate the commencement of the show which sent the audience deafening with excitement. The band kick-started the show with ‘Am I dreaming’ and garnered a huge applause that set the ball rolling for the night.

After a few peppy numbers which had the audience grooving, the band played their celebrated composition ‘But it rained’, with flashlights from phones swaying in the air, among the crowds.

<em>Parikrama fans in Chennai</em>
Parikrama fans in Chennai

Showing no signs of fatigue or exhaustion, the band continued to dish out song after song with no pause or break for more than an hour. The fusion of contemporary and Indian instruments created a dynamic ambience, leaving the audience cheering for more.

As the evening progressed, the energy of the audience escalated with each song. The audience were in for a sweet surprise when Imran Khan walked through them and played his violin in tune with the crowd’s chanting rhythm. Reminiscing the story of their first composition, Nitin Malik created a wave of nostalgia as he took a trip down the memory lane of Parikrama’s initial music journey.

The band decided to tease the audience by playing several songs except for the ones the audience screamed for. After about an hour, satisfying the audience screams for some of their best numbers, the band played their best known numbers such as, 'How did we decide it', 'Xerox', 'Open skies', 'Whiskey blues'. The songs were mostly drowned out by the shrieks and roars from the crowd.

<em>Parikrama in Chennai</em>
Parikrama in Chennai

The violin and tabla were as instrumental in the rock compositions as the guitar and drums. Soft interludes of violin infused with rhythms of the tabla took the Indian hard rock genre to new heights. The ensemble of rock and Carnatic music was spectacular.

The band brought the amazing night to a close with the song ‘Highway to hell’, at the end of which the entire auditorium gave a standing ovation to the rock-stellar performance.

The audience were awestruck by the fact that they had immensely enjoyed rock music created with the help of Carnatic instruments. With an adequate sprinkling of Chennai flavour interspersed in their concert, the band’s performance was one of their best yet.

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