Legends on a fractured stage: A night of music and chaos

After 14 long years, Pakistani music band Jal took Dhaka's stage by storm. Fans were swarming the venue at Jamuna Future Park as the temporary roof above the North Court was removed, allowing people to peer over the railings across all eight floors. 

Fans were crammed in every corner, even taking over the elevators. They were all  mesmerised by Goher Mumtaz's heartfelt performance of the timeless classic 'Aadat.' 

The entire mall overflowed with nostalgia, excitement, and teary eyes as the music reached into the depths of everyone's hearts. Just as the crowd lost themselves in nostalgia, the authorities stepped onto the stage and tugged on Goher's guitar, signalling him to stop. And he promptly left the stage without saying a word of farewell to his adoring fans.

The show ended before it truly began. After waiting 14 years for this moment, fans were left with a half-finished performance.  

A chaotic crowd, many without tickets, forced their way in, and the night was plagued by endless technical glitches, leaving what should have been a triumphant return feeling disappointingly underwhelming. 

I couldn't help but laugh at one point during the chaos, as the organisers were nowhere to be found, and the ticketing team stood frozen, watching the crowd force their way in as everything spiralled out of control. 

The irony was striking, especially after an organiser had confidently assured me the night before over the phone, "The safety of the artist and audience is our number one priority."

The band Vikings came and went, but it was hard to enjoy any of their classics, like 'Bhalobashi Jaare,' due to the abysmal sound system. 

Originally, the concert was supposed to take place in Dhaka Arena, an open field, but changing the venue to a shopping mall was a guarantee for technical issues. The organisers were responsible for managing this better, but they fell short.

Throughout the event, the organisers reminded the crowd that the concert was far from what they had planned. While they somehow got the job done, the resulting event raised the question: was this all worth it, and to what extent could the disaster have been prevented?

As visitors made their way into the venue after getting pushed around in the entryway, they were met with a hall packed with people, wall to wall. 

There was absolutely no way to see the stage. Rather, people were sadly huddled around a lone screen that displayed the performance. It hits you when you are reminded that many of these attendants had paid Tk3,000 just to watch a screen at the venue.

To add to the confusion, the shopping mall remained open to the general public, so there were only black curtains separating the show and its audience from them. And that was hardly a barricade. 

Moreover, these curtains were taken down mid-show when the unruly crowd– that was much too large for the venue– became impossible to control.

Eventually, the army had to intervene and the endless requests for the crowd to settle down were ignored. It might have been more effective to play Kendrick Lamar's famous verse from 'Humble' to get everyone's attention!

As magical as every chord of 'Aadat' was, it still didn't feel like enough. The crowd mostly sang along to 'Sajni' and 'Ik Din Ayega,' but we craved more of Goher's presence. 
However, when the show kicked off with everyone singing in unison to 'Woh Lamhey,' it felt like a brief moment of unity, a reward for enduring the chaos and challenges everyone faced earlier.

While Goher was undeniably charming and showcased his brilliance as a guitarist, apart from 'Aadat,' his performance didn't quite tug at the nostalgic heartstrings as much as I hoped it would. 

As if in return for the struggles for the whole evening, the headliners played an unreleased song for the crowd, and now we eagerly await its official release.

Undoubtedly, the highlight of the entire show was Aurthohin, delivering a truly memorable performance, albeit gracing the stage an hour late. 

Bassbaba Sumon had the crowd completely captivated with 'Chaitei Paro,' and every song that followed was nothing short of perfection. 

But even that memory was marred by the lapses of sound interference, which reached across the floors of the mall.

We grooved and sang along as he amazed us with powerful renditions of 'Aushomapto' 'Epitaph,' 'Bijoyer Gaan,' 'Nikkristo,' and 'Tumi Bhorecho Ei Mon,' before closing their set with 'Chaitei Paro' once more. 

It was an especially poignant moment, as this marked Mahaan Fahim's final performance with Aurthohin due to health complications. 

The announcement came soon after the concert, with a post from Bassbaba Sumon's Facebook page wishing Mahaan a speedy recovery. 

From start to finish, the night was fraught with difficulties, yet it was remarkable to see the true fans hold onto hope until the very end. They came for Jal and stayed, but their loyalty wasn't rewarded as expected. 

What was meant to be a highly anticipated night with music legends turned out to be only half-memorable. While the crowd was eventually brought somewhat under control, mid-performance disruptions and constant issues dampened the experience. 

A night with legends was never meant to be spent in a mall. By the end, many walked away disappointed, feeling it wasn't worth the money, their faces reflecting the frustration of unfulfilled expectations.