Lie Detector

So did anybody attend the Shakira concert? Did you find out if her hips really don't lie?

Scream For Me Bangalore!

Okay, I'm ready to believe it now. Iron Maiden performed in Bangalore!!! A month and a half ago my cousin had called me up all excited, "Dude, Maiden's coming to India!" and then he went delirious. After having waited for them to perform in India for over 20 years, I dismissed it as yet another rumor but soon the news was all over the place. Could it be true this time?

Anyways, there we were at the Palace Grounds, a good 5 hours before the gates were scheduled to open. Armed with sandwiches, Red Bulls, water minus booze we parked ourselves by the gate discussing the best way to swoon when they finally came on stage. There were people camping there much before we arrived. A bunch of Sri Lankan fans had come directly from the airport and spent the night at the venue. Pretty soon what was a group of a few hundred maidenheads swelled up to a sea of black, screaming and cheering everything and everybody...including the tempo that brought in bottles of water.

The gates opened at 3 and the frenzy began. Pushing and jostling, we were among the first to enter the venue. So mad was the charge that they couldn't dare frisk us (the later ones got checked). We made our way right up to the front but then decided to fall back a few meters to park ourselves in front of the sound engineering rig. This later proved to be an intelligent move. The sun beat down ruthlessly, but we were safe in the shade of the rig and there was no chance of being pushed from behind during the concert.

We waited there for about 2 and a half hours chatting up before the first of the opening acts finally came on stage.

First up were the Delhi based winner of the Campus Rock Idols - FTN and boy did they suck!!! They probably created some sort of a record for being the fastest to get booed on stage, 30 seconds or so I reckon. Don't think it was entirely their fault though, the crowd was impatient after being in the sun all day and were in no mood to listen to their guttural growls, its a Maiden concert for crying out loud! They even tried to pacify the crowd by doing some nu-metal covers but there were no takers. They somehow completed their time and got off the stage as fast as they could. But no matter what we say, those guys got the distinction of sharing the same stage as Maiden...so there...

Up next was Parikrama and they were loudly greeted by the crowd. They had come on a mission, to prove that they can do originals and that’s exactly what they did...an entire set of originals and each song was received by an appreciative crowd especially popular songs like Whiskey Blues, Rhythm & Blues, But It Rained and Open Skies. Imran, their impish violinist got the most cheers. When they were done, they crowd was really warmed up and ready for action.

But all the crowd enthu was soon to be shot down. Lauren Harris was next on stage with her band. For those who just went Lauren who??? She's the daughter of Steve "the god of bass" Harris. But when she started singing, everybody started seriously doubting this piece of fact. How can Steve's daughter be this bad!!! To put it mildly, she was PATHETIC. The band musicians were not half as bad though but this babe just can't sing. She got booed louder than FTN and I don't think there was a single person in the crowd that did not show her the finger, and she kept asking for more! "Come on Bangalore, let me see your hands." All the heat Parikrama had generated was totally watered down by her.

Once she was done, the maiden crew began their last-minute stage setup and the crowd went totally mute in anticipation. By this time there was not a single square inch of ground that was not filled up. It was getting pretty suffocating and standing in the sun for so long had begun to have its effect. Seconds before Maiden came on stage, a limp body of a fainted girl was suddenly passed on to me! We somehow managed to get her across the barricade, into the sound rig where the technicians gave her some water. This scene caused a panic attack in my wife and even she had to be hauled across which eventually worked well for both of us cause the crowd went berserk when Maiden burst in to the riffs of Different Worlds from their latest album. More songs from this album followed. Now, I'm really not into their later albums, which was just as well as it gave me time to absorb the shock, "MAIDEN WAS LIVE ON STAGE!". The crowd was going wild but they really crossed over when they started The Trooper. Bruce was all over the stage in his British army uniform waving the Union Jack. This was soon followed by 'Fear of the Dark', the song everybody had come to sing. The crowd was so loud that I'm not even sure if Bruce really sang it or just let the crowd do the singing. The stage backdrop changed with almost every song to show the different avatars of Eddie in line with the songs they were playing. They also played Wrathchild as a tribute to the departed vocalist of Moksha, which to me was a great gesture from a great band. Then they launched into Iron Maiden (the song) during which a huge robotic tank rose up on stage with Eddie emerging from it. The stage pyrotechnics were fantastic. It was hard to imagine these guys were around 50 years old! Bruce was a bundle of energy, he even climbed up a pillar supporting the speaker wall once to rousing cheers from the crowd. Dunno if they were expecting such an amazing response but whatever it was they must have been mighty pleased for Bruce promised that we wouldn't have to wait even 17 more months before they came back! He said they knew people have been waiting for 17 years for them to come to India (20ish in my own case) and that now that they have come, it is just the beginning and a lot of bands would follow suit, which I hope would be true.

Their main set lasted an hour or so with the crowd screaming for more and more they got. The encore began with 2 Minutes to Midnight and was followed by The Evil That Men Do during which Eddie, all 14 feet of him, walked on stage wearing a military uniform and carrying a gun! The final song was Hallowed Be Thy Name and the entire crowd lost its sense of reality. All I remember is jumping up and down and screaming myself hoarse.

The crowd lingered for some time hoping for a second encore but when the crew started wrapping up the stage gear, it was certain that the concert was over. We were in a daze, it still had not struck home completely. While back on the main street, my friend turned to me and wailed "Dude, we just saw Maiden live!!!", We had to sit on the pavement for a few minutes to let the feeling sink in. I was ready to retire...

Thank god for mobile phones! Check out 'The Trooper' from the concert here

Prog - Italian Style!

The Soulforged’s earlier post possibly was the much needed push towards my introduction and current fascination towards Italian Progressive Music. Premiata Forneria Marconi, Le Orme, Metamorfosi, Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso, Museo Rosenbach, Locanda Delle Fate, Quella Vecchia Locanda – the names might be quite a mouthful, but heck they have made some of the most brilliant music I have heard! Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM), arguably the most popular of the lot, is touted as one of the most influential bands of the golden years of Progressive Rock (the 70’s but of course), alongside the likes of King Crimson, Gentle Giant, VDDG et al. If I have manage to tickle your curiosity enough, I would recommend that you start with one of PFM’s albums. While most of the bands sing in Italian, there are a few English language albums, which are essentially remakes of their successful Italian albums.

I must say I still haven’t dug deep into this genre, but out of the ones I have listened, I have listed down what I believe to be some of the phenomenal albums of this very important subsection in the history of Prog. If checking out ALL of them might be a stretch, at least sample a few. Yes, yes , I might be a tad biased towards the Italians (thanks to their food, their art, some of their films and of course Roberto Baggio), trust me when I say this – È eccellente!


1. Album : Storia Di Un Minuto
Band: Premiata Forneria Marconi
Year of Release: 1972

The beauty of this album much like most of the earlier albums of PFM, is its timelessness.The sheer brilliance of the instrumental set-ups, the melody structure and the harmonic arrangements DEFINES symphonic prog for me. It’s hard to escape the magic that is this album, whether it is the addictive riff for a backbone of E’Festa should probably go down or the chorus portion of the latter half of Impressioni Di Septembre.

Favorite Track(s) : Dove…Quando - Part 1 and Part 2.

2. Album : Collage
Band : Le Orme
Year of Release – 1971

This album would probably not figure in the list of the best Italian Prog albums, with their equally brilliant effort, Felona E Sorona usurping the place instead and I sometimes wonder why. Each track is a definite master-piece, IMO, with some very innovative song structures and authoritative instrumental passages. Le Orme might not be as melodic as PFM is, but I quite adore the theatrical style of their compositions which can totally overpower your senses.

And a special mention, Collage, the opening track ranks in my great opening tracks of great albums list!

Favorite Track(s): Collage, Era Inverno, Cemento Armato

3. Album: Darwin!
Band: Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso
Year of Release : 1972

I don’t know about you, but I find that Exclamation Mark at the end of the album name very thrilling!! A Concept album, based on the theory of evolution (presumably), this epic album starts with the landmark composition called L'Evoluzione. All of more than 16 minutes in length, this would definitely have to end up in the best opening tracks list. What distinguishes these guys is the distinctive and dramatic vocals of Francesco Di Giacomo and the multitude of variance that the tempos of their tracks offer. Also, their tracks can be as much classical as it is futuristic.

Favorite Track(s) : L’Evoluzione, Cento Mani, Cento Occhi


4. Album : Inferno
Band: Metamorfosi
Year of Release: 1972

Normally, these guys don’t feature in the first names that come up to any one’s mind when asked to talk about Italian Prog. But Inferno is a concept album par- excellence. Heavy on the emphasis of the synthesizers and keys for its sound, it reminds me much of a brain-storming session – It’s no-holds-barred, it’s engaging and it is very non-conforming.

Favorite Track(s): Caronte

5. Album: Forse le Lucciole Non Si Amano Più
Band : Locanda Delle Fate
Year of Release: 1978

A relatively late entrant to the 70’s Italian Prog force, Locanda Delle Fate might not be ranked alongside PFM and Le Orme kinds for shaping Italian symphonic prog. Because of that fact, they probably might not have the most original of sounds. But what is noticeable is their extensive use of instruments, often packed together and backed by some excellent percussion elements.

Favorite Track(s): Volte un Istante Di Quiete, Profumo Di Colla Bianca

6. Album: Per Un Amico
Band: Premiata Forneria Marconi
Year of Release: 1972

It’s only fitting that the biggest of ‘em all have two favorites – although it’s been pretty hard to narrow it down to just two! ‘Per Un Amico’, or its English version – Photos of Ghosts is a fantastic journey from start to finish. A fairly small album, it starts with the wonderfully surprising Appena Un Poco armed to the brim with some of the most characteristically PFM-ish sounds. Both Storia… and this album were released in the same year, and Per Un Amico just serves to accentuate the quality of the band’s music.

Favorite Track(s), Appena Un Poco, Il Banchetto


There are a few other albums that I also like, such as Moseo Rosenbach’s Zarathustra, Quella Vecchia Locanda's Il tempo Della Gioia, L'uovo Di Colombo’s self titled album, Le Orme’s Felona E Sorona and a few other PFM stuff – and who knows how many more as I start discovering more. But I think I have made my point already!

Until it’s time for the next post…well, what else but...Ciao!

P.S: I have no clue how to pronounce all these beautiful sounding words! :D