Delhi crowd energised 'Rock On' concert

Mumbai, Sep 8 (IANS) Actor-director-singer Farhan Akhtar, who was down with high fever before the "Rock On" concert in New Delhi, can't get over the overwhelming response they got from the capital's crowds. He says the experience was "unbelievable" and beyond words.

A crowd of around 12,000 people mobbed, jostled and cheered as the band from the film "Rock On" - comprising Farhan, Arjun Rampal, Luke Kenny and Purab Kohli - performed at the Select Citywalk mall in south Delhi Saturday along with composer trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

"This was absolutely crazy. And we got a first-hand feel of it on stage in Delhi. Watching the audiences' spirit and enthusiasm, I didn't mind going on stage even when I was so unwell," Farhan told IANS.

What happened?

"For three days I had a throat infection. On Friday it got worse. On Saturday I woke up with a 102-degree temperature. This sweet doctor came and gave lots of medicines and advised me not to go on stage. But he understood I'd die if I didn't go on stage," he said.

Farhan just can't believe how far the film's message and music have gone.

"It was unbelievable," he exclaimed. "They were 10-12,000 people come to see us. I can't put the experience in words. Purab even performed his 'I'll Survive' dance from the film. The kind of energy created by the audience has gone way beyond the film.

"They've seen the film and they came to the concert to give us back something. The film has definitely brought the spotlight on Indi-rock."

Farhan, who has sung six of the nine songs in "Rock On", sang live on stage while his colleagues just mimed the musical movements. But now everybody is keen on going live themselves.

"Arjun, Purab and Luke want to play their own stuff live. So basically we want to work towards being a live band and perform without Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy supporting us on stage. Purab has already bought his drum kits and is practising religiously. Arjun is going to go back to Chandresh who taught him guitar and learn some more. And Luke is practising the keyboards. As for me I've always been passionate about singing," Farhan said.

The rock concert in Delhi was the cast's third after they performed in Mumbai and Pune last month.

Set in Mumbai, the film by director Abhishek Kapoor has an urban feel and revolves around a group of four musicians who form a hippie rock band called "Magic".

It is led by singer Aditya (Farhan) and also has temperamental guitarist Joe Mascarenhas (Rampal), talented keyboard player Rob (Kenny) and drummer Kedar Zaveri (Kohli).

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