The evening air was rife with anticipation when Indian singer Arijit Singh took to the stage at 8.30pm. This performance in Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena on Friday night was his first since the COVID-19 pandemic began. We were expecting an exciting line-up and he did not disappoint.
He kicked things off with an energetic ‘Ye Li Hai Merin Aankhon Ne ’ from ‘Ludo’ and followed it up with 'Hawayein" from Jab Harry met Sejal, ‘Ghungroo’ from ‘War’, and ‘Binte Dil’ from ‘Padmaavat’.
Singh is known for his range – and he used it to maximum effect, belting out hits such as ‘Chana Mere Ya’, ‘Zaliman’ and ‘illahi hi mera ji aye’. The crowd, mesmerized, swayed to the beats and danced and sang along – the excitement was palpable.
Singh, who first made headlines in the reality show ‘Fame Gurukul’ back in 2005, knows the value of showmanship – and this act proved it. He not only sang but also played the piano and the guitar. And when the audience wanted to get closer, he obliged, singing from amid the crowd.
His tunes ‘Barish ki dua’, ‘Tum sath ho Tere Bin’ were a great hit and so were his renditions of songs by Pakistani artists such as Junoon’s Sayonee and Atif Aslam’s ‘Baby I love you’. At one point, Singh confessed to being a fan of singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.
Another fan-favourite moment was when Singh started singing hits from the 70s – think ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Pas’, ‘Neele Nele Amber Pe’ and ‘Aaj Phir Jene Ki Tamanna Hain’
Hearing him belt out the eternally romantic song 'Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne', sung originally by the late Rafi saab and Asha Bhosle, and he covered 60 songs in 4 hours almost a herculean task for any singer was nothing short of pure magic.
As we jived and swayed to the music on a cool night, we made memories of an unforgettable musical evening.
