Nostalgia and celebration at Fuad Live in Dhaka
‘Fuad Live in Dhaka’ was held on Sunday, 25 December, at ICCB
The last time Bassbaba Sumon and Fuad played together, Sumon arrived at the venue in an ambulance. There were doubts whether he could ever perform live on stage again. It was an emotional moment for him. That is why when the duo performed 'Gaibona' for the first time together in 14 years.
For Anila, 'Fuad Live in Dhaka' on Sunday, 25 December, marked her return to stage after 13 years. But more importantly, it was the first time her daughters got to witness her perform.
Performing live for Fuad is is not just not about feeling alive, he wants to leave behind a legacy.
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Some fans were there celebrating Christmas on Sunday, others were revisiting the music they grew up with. The emotions, however, were not just experienced by the performers themselves, it could be felt by the entire audience at the ICCB Expo Zone.
Fuad's live shows are long musical experiences. The set list covered all sorts of genres – ranging from folk, rap, Jazz to Rock, etc. The arrangements and integration of such variable forms of music is a very unique aspect to Fuad's musical prowess. The show featured a plethora of artists, but the sound, lighting and the grandeur of the stage added to the experience.
Fuad played the keyboard and the synth. Ekram Wasi and Pritom played the guitars. Vocalists were constantly being swapped, after every one or two songs. There were three drummers. Ifaz Abrar Reza also popped up on stage now and again for a few performances.
Pantho Kanai was also featured at the show. He performed one of his most popular tracks, 'Chumki Choleche Eka Poth e'. He also did a mashup between 'Nouka' and 'Dol Dol Duloni'. The crowd also joined him to sing along 'Nasek Nasek'.
When Black Zang and Aly Hasan took to the stage, they had a very different energy. The show featured the Fuad-Elita classics 'Kothay' and 'Urey Jete Chai'. Bassbaba Sumon performed Aurthohin's 'Amar Proticchobi' and his Bangla rendition of John Denver's Annnie's Song, 'Tumi Chuyecho ei Mon'.
The show ended on an upbeat note with Anika Tasnim grabbing everyone's attention. She was dressed in glamorous outfits, she had 'Lucifer Morningstar' wings attached to her all black outfit. Her performance also included the fan favorite tracks 'Tumi ki Shara Dibe' and a heavier version of Mila's ' Jatrabala'.
The creme de la creme of all of Fuad's discography was saved for the last. He had the entire crowd captivated by the tunes of 'Nitol Paye', but after the show, as a fan, I just had to ask him the million dollar question that everyone who has listened to this S.D. Burman rendition wants to know: Will you finally tell me who the mysterious 'Shyama meye' is?
"You want the answer? Well, you'll just have to wait until the next time TBS features Fuad Almuqtadir," he replied.
