Me and my wife go to all sort of concerts – small or large, desi or pardesi. This was one of the best we have seen so far. And I don’t think any desi concert can even come close to this one. It was simply mind-blowing. The iZod center engineers have to re-evaluate it’s structure tomorrow because SEL nearly brought it down!
Guys if you haven’t bought the tickets for one of the future shows, you got to get it. You will never forget this show. Shankar Mahadevan knows how to do a show. From the moment he entered, the crowd just went wild and it just got better and better and better. Add to this the sheer power belted out from Ehsaan’s guitar and the mesmerizing jazz droplets from Loy’s keyboard and you get pure magic. Together they make the very best performers of India.
Well I will not break the suspense for you by listing all the songs they played here, but they played all their hits – Pretty Woman, Maa, Kajrare, Kal Ho Na Ho, Rock On – they were all there and sung flawlessly by Shankar. Watching shankar sing is like watching Tendulkar when he is in full form. Each and every person in the audience was dancing and swooning to their songs. The whole band came together really well. In addition to SEL, here were two drummers, one dhol player, one congo player, bassist, a keyboardist and I think a backup guitarist. Shankar’s introduction of his team was a feat to watch in itself. Raman Mahadevan and Mahalaxmi Iyer sang a couple of songs really nice. Mahalaxmi sang Aaaj Ki Raat from Don (Also featured in Slumdog Millionaire). It was a pleasure to watch all of them doing a beautiful chorus for the song Rock and Roll Soniye – the blues overtones by both Loy and Ehsaan for this song were so pleasing.
The show ran like a finely oiled machine – no glitches. No mic volume issue. No mixing issues. Very well mixed and controlled. There was just a large screen in the center with some graphics. No dancers or any other distractions. Just pure exhilarating music filling up the entire space.
Richa Sharma’s section was rather week or should I say disaster. I recommend the organizers to cut it to 1/4th or maybe eliminate it altogether. Her efforts to woo the public were sad and pathetic.
Shafqat Amanat Ali sang his songs and he was in top form. Khamaj, Yaman, Dum a Dum Mast Qalandar – it was all there. His band played very well and the extended solos played by his guitarist was terrific.
I actually feel very sad for all those people who went to see A R Rahman show hoping to hear songs from Rock On, Dil Chahta Hai, KANK, Kal Ho Na Ho and Bunty Aur Babli ;-).
Overall, this is simply the best Indian performance I have seen. I would love to see SEL come back again in a couple of years and wish them all the best for the rest of the tour.
vaigyanik 
I so agree with you. I believe that S-E-L are blessed to be able to bring out such music. I have attended a lot of concerts and this was by far one of the best. I was surprised this wasn’t sold out totally. I love this trio’s music and Mahalakshmi is by far one the best voices i have heard.
thanks for the wonderful reception and the review …… hope we can come back and rock you people again !!!
SEL….they are the best. no doubt about it !!! they are the number one music composers Bollywood have !!!
Congrats Ehsaan…so proud of u !!!
Hey Ehsaan,
Can’t believe you just left a comment here. That was some terrific guitar playing..thanks for doing a show in NJ and hope to see you guys back soon.
Great to hear Shafqat’s band did well since he was stressed out about 3 band members not getting their US visas yet so he’s doing REALLY well considering…..
WISH i was there!
Nini (writing from Isloo)
The overall show was fantastic though I wished the entire show consisted of only SEL with the other singers on hand for their duets but understand that that would be unfair to the artists. Richa Sharma had a lot of energy. I found her set to be much better than Shafqat who sang mostly to his band, did not interact with the audience and has no overall stage presence though it was great to hear him sing “Aankhon ke sagar” and “Mora Saiyan” (has a great voice). Mahalaxmi’s voice is just heaven. SEL is just an amazing trio. They could have played for 4 hours straight and it would have been just perfect. They’re definitely musical soulmates. As for the venue, not very happy with the Izod Center. Coming from NY, I felt the promoters missed out on the NY audience which would have filled the seats. I bought my tickets from Tickemaster but it was buried under “Inspiration…” unlike other cities, if you type in “Shankar Ehsaan Loy”, the tickets were easily found. Overall, the show was FANTASTIC and would definitely go again if they were to come back to NY.
Agree with you about promotion. I can’t imagine anyone missing something like this intentionally.
OMG! I must say they got the name right!!! This concert was ROCKING and I hate to admit that I wasted my money on “Jai Ho” A R Rehaman concert. To the future cities where this concert is taking place don’t miss this concert if you are a music fan. If you are a production fan…meaning if you like to just glare at the stage then go to the A R Rehaman concer:):). Have Fun…..
Well said. The rahman show was more theater than music. His band never came together as a team.
Hey guys…Deepa is right!!!! I attended the Shankar, Ehasan, Loy concert and it was excellent. I went with my husband who has never been to an Indian concert and even he enjoyed thoroughly. Can’t say one was better then the other. They were ALL very good!!!
I really enjoyed my time at the concert. I found the music to be exillarating and exciting. It is an experience that I would like to have again. I would suggest my family and friends in other cities to attend this worthwhile concert. Shankar Ehsaan Loy put on an inspirational performance that intrigued my heart.
Absolutely the best concert ever, period. The quality of the music was only matched by the grace with which all the artists and even the promoters prseneted themselves. We were dancing non-stop when SEL and Richa were on. Will be back everytime they are in this area. I have to disagree with you about Richa. She did a great job getting the crowd going and really loosened up the crowd, not that it needed much loosening. Her vocals were very good and she had a few rousing numbers.
Absolutely the best concert ever, period. The quality of the music was only matched by the grace with which all the artists (and even the promoters) presented themselves. We were dancing non-stop when SEL and Richa were on. Will be back everytime they are in this area. I have to disagree with you about Richa. She did a great job getting the crowd going and really loosened up the crowd, not that it needed much loosening. Her vocals were very good and she had a few rousing numbers.
Just wanted to thank the singers who gave such a wonderful performance at the concert. I was especially impressed by Richa Kumar’s powerful singing style. She really made a deep impact in me as I was sitting in the audience amongst her many fans. I loved the way all of the singers sang with the passion inside of musical genuises. I would watch the show again, and be able to capture the singing talent of all the musicians.
I was fascinated by the singing talent during the show. All of the singers got together and put on a mesmorizing show that I will remember for years to come. Mahalaxmi Iyer put on a dazzling performance where I could hear the passion for singing in her voice and lyrics. Richa Sharma’s singing style was brought to life as she sang some songs that I favor. All in all, the show was a memborable experience.
Amazing perfomances! The pieces put on by the singers were mind-blowing. You could tell, the singers and promoters, put alot of time and energy into creating a fulfilling enterntainment experience. Each portion of the show, build up my excitement as I awaited the next number. Hats off to the singing talent that was brought into town on that outstanding night!
I have been to so many concerts so when i heard about the SEL concert, I thought this is just another concert but to my surprise, it was one of the most memorable concerts I have ever witnessed. I truly recommend every one who likes live concerts to go to this concert. It is amazing.
This was one of the best live concerts I have ever been to. The song choice was a big crowd pleaser. All hit songs were performed and the energy of the performances made me jump out of my seat and dance. Every performance was spectacular however, the trio and Richa Sharma were two of my favorites. This show was truly a memorable experience.
I am from Houston and my brother lives in NJ and he just recently been to this concert and had a time of his life..I have been following this band for sometime now and I am sure 6th of August…I’ll make sure not to miss a single second of this band and the real singers worth of life time….I am eagerly waiting for the 6th August
Awesome! This show is so jam packed with great stuff its impossible to remember everything. you reminded me of the pieces loy did, the jazz version – not sure which sone but was awesome. absolutely right about shafqats guitarist – he played a lot and was great. Ehsan – hmm – sigh..such a talented guy – they use every artists talent so well in their music. I really wish I could drive to LA and see them all over again.
great show
I am just about to hit the road to catch SEL perform at Washington DC.I am really excited…glad everyone’s enjoying it.
With Due respect to SEL and other artists,The concert at DC certainly did not create the magic that SEL are normally known for. I would blame the organisers for poorly organising the show.The auditorium was about 60% empty, overly pricing the tickets surely did not help.I wish it could have been better.
The artists, tried thier best.Shankar,as usual was great.But, Ehsaan was phenomenal.He really was wonderfull.This guy is a serious talent, he really creates magic with his guitar. Thanks to all the artists, but organisers please do not disappoint music lovers.
I attended the show at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington DC on July 30, and only one way I can think of describing it: “ELECTRIFYING”. Truly one of the most memorable and power-packed concert that I have attended. All the performers were good, thou’ the evening belonged to the SEL combo. Shankar stood out with this unparalled vocals, and EL gave him great support. Shankar’s sawal jawab piece that he did with the different instruments and drummers was definitely one of the shows highlights. Great show and would recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it….this is Indian Rock at its peak !!! Way to go SEL, and keep coming back !!!
Great concert. Absolutely rocking. We were two families that attended the LA concert and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We enjoyed all the performers. I’m surprised about the Richa Sharma comment. I thought she was terrific. If I could change one piece, I’d like to have a few additional non peppy popular numbers. I understand the inclination to have more high energy, fast numbers, but I think having a few additional softer numbers would have been great.
Total paisa vasool.