If Only.

Last week, while scrolling my news-feed, I got to know that Farhan Akhtar would be coming to Jaipur for #ImperialBlueSuperhitNights.

I wish I could record my reaction, as it was quite similar to this GIF.

Okay – to be honest, I have always been a Farhan Akhtar fan ever since I saw Rock On (the first time). Being a multi-talented artist, director, actor, and performer – he has gained an abundance of respect from me.

Needless to say, I had to attend the concert at any cost!

Lucky for me, getting an entry was pretty easy as it was an open #ImperialBlueSuperhitNights event. If you don’t know about SuperhitNights by Imperial Blue, then you are certainly missing out on something. The brand organises several mega-concerts in the country, and with their #MenWillBeMen campaign, they attract thousands of attendees.

The latest leg of the #ImperialBlueSuperhitNights features #FarhanLiveBand, giving power-packed performances in 6 different cities – Jaipur, Lucknow, Cuttack, Indore, Guwahati, and Mangalore. The tour got a smashing kick-start in Jaipur on December 17.

After a quick research, I got to know more about Farhan Live. Needless to say, the band features Farhan Akhtar as the lead male vocalist. Besides him, it comprises of Shannon Donald as the female vocalist, Dibyajyoti Nath as the bass guitarist, Sarosh Izedyarana as the lead guitarist, Umaang Doshi as the keyboardist, and Darshan Doshi as the lead drummer.

Fast forward to the evening of 17th December – we were all set to attend the concert and reached the venue on time. Well, to be honest, we were a little early because that is how excited we were. Don’t believe me? This is your boy right outside the entrance of SMS Investment Ground (which was the venue for #ImperialBlueSuperhitNights).

Soon, we took our seats and decided to take a few clicks of the venue. Since we were there a little early, we had the entire venue for us (well, almost). Lucky for us, we were able to catch the team doing the pre-concert sound-check and other preparations. The stage looked pretty neat with lots of commotion, as the concert was about to start in a few minutes.

There were some hilarious #MenWillBeMen commercials running in the background to keep us company as well. In no time, the stadium got jam-packed with thousands of attendees. We took our seats, and the desperate wait for the band started. The crowd was already cheering his name in unison, which pumped-up our spirits as well.

*Farhan – Farhan – Farhan*

As the crowd cheered louder and louder with every moment, the man of the hour was introduced by RJ Kartik.

Farhan Akhtar took the stage with the rest of the band members. As the crowd cheered louder than ever, I joined in too (and kind-of lost my voice). I have attended a couple of concerts in the past, but never have I seen a crowd so energetic. Even the organisers had to request the crowd to calm down a little.

To be honest, both Deepak and I were pretty excited too and had our happy-face on. This is us (and Farhan in the background, appreciating the energy of the crowd).

You can’t blame the crowd for being so excited. The concert was started with “Sinbad the Sailor” that has an upbeat tune to it. As the song got us moving, we knew it was going to be an unforgettable night.

From “Main Aisa Kyu Hoon” to “Socha Hai” – with every song, Farhan and his band won over the heart of every attendee. He had an unwavering and effortless vibe, making the evening a magical one.

The night had numerous moments that stood out for me. Shortly after that, the band started playing “Tum Ho Toh”. While listening to one of my favourite songs live, I got goosebumps. It took me back in time to when the song was originally released. It made me wonder how differently a song can make us feel at times. It meant something else when I heard it the first time. While listening to it live, it meant so much more.

My emotional vibe was soon converted into an energetic one as the band started playing one hit track after another. One of the crowd-favourites was “Pichle Saat Dinon Mein”, which Farhan also loved singing with his signature falsetto note. And yes – he did pushups during his performance as well!

The performance was concluded with confetti – lots of confetti!

For a moment, it got me thinking that the concert was over. Fortunately, I was wrong. It was soon followed by Farhan’s super-energetic performance of “Atrangi Yaari”. He literally climbed on the top of the stage and near the spotlights during his performance, which left everyone baffled.

We didn’t realise how quickly time passed while grooving to songs like “Hawan Karenge” and “Rock On”. Shortly after hitting the last note, Farhan placed the microphone near his chest and made us listen to his heartbeat.

As he told us to do the same, I closed my eyes too and listened to the undying sound of the universe. Right there – was a moment that I knew will last a lifetime. As everyone listened to their heartbeat with music fading in the background, we realised we were so much more than ourselves.

We were a part of something better.

How often do you go to a concert that makes you believe in something more than yourself?

As I left with a smile on my face, my soul was filled with joy. I didn’t know how much I needed an evening like it until that moment.