Counting Down to 90 - Week 1565 - Shows and Concerts in Mumbai…Are They Worth the Trouble Attending?

The Concept Explained

Counting Down to 90 - Week 1579

Why 1579

Bhavin's WritingsBhavin Jankharia

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Saturday evening, we went for the Coldplay concert that we've been waiting for. 

Counting Down to 90 - Week 1571 - Animated Shows, All My Love, Mist

With so much to watch, read, and listen to, the real treasure lies in the few works that leave you shaken, moved, or changed…be they animated shows, plays, rock concerts, or a poem that leaves you saying “Damn.”

Bhavin's WritingsBhavin Jankharia

Thanks to directions from Jessy, getting there was easy - 1 hr 15 m when we left King’s Circle via Atal Setu - parked on the MIDC service road on the other side of the stadium and walked the foot over-bridge into the stadium. It was good to get there early and hang around soaking the vibe. Caught Elyanna’s act half-way and a terrible Jasleen Royal act after that.

Coldplay was fine. They lit up the sky with pyrotechnics and the stadium with lots of lights - all of us had to wear a band that would glow in different colors. The 2016 concert was far better - Chris Martin sang and played more seriously - yesterday it was more showmanship than actually singing and playing well. In that sense, Bryan Adams was a better concert. He came, played his set, didn’t do any unnecessary timepass and we all had a lovely time. I don’t regret going to the Coldplay concert, but if I hadn’t gone, it would have been fine.

The problem really is getting in and out of these places. On Friday, we went for the A R Rahman headlined Haazri, a Sufi concert, a tribute to Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Saab. It took us an hour from King’s Circle to BKC, the last half hour to navigate just 1 km in BKC and when we finally reached the right turn that was 500 metres away from our Jio World Gardens entry, we realized the cops had closed it down…we had to get off the car and walk it up, which was fine…but if we had known, if someone had been directing traffic better, we would have taken the earlier right turn and saved 15 odd minutes. The cops do whatever they want, without intimation and we can’t do a damn thing.

As they did after the Coldplay concert ended. They shut down access to the foot over-bridge, which meant we had to walk all the way to the end of the service road and then double back after crossing over. The MIDC service road was packed with cars and it finally took us 2 hours to get home after the show ended again via Atal Setu. 

We had the same problem getting to NESCO for the Bryan Adams concert last month. It took 2 hours, which was fine, but Google Maps led us astray and we had to again walk almost a km to get in. Then getting in and out was painful because the signages were non-existent and the cops had blocked a couple of roads without intimation. 

The organizers couldn’t really care less and the cops do whatever they want. 

NCPA is great because it’s just so easy to get in and out, Shanmukhananda Hall works because it is a short walk away and Mahalaxmi Race Course is also fine, because it is in the city and transport is just a short walk away in any direction. NESCO, D Y Patil, anything in BKC…all these venues just suck, either for getting in (BKC) or out (D Y Patil) or both (NESCO).

It is also the way people get treated. During the Sufi concert, we had to stand in line to buy a card, which needed a minimum amount of Rs. 1000. One teenager who had only Rs. 500 wanted a bottle of water…she stood in line for 10-15 mins then was turned away and then when she went to the water counter (the bottle cost Rs. 50), they would not accept cash and she had no way of buying water. Seriously? Water? You CANNOT DENY WATER to anyone anywhere. I don’t know who was responsible…NR the organizers or BookMyShow or Jio World Gardens…the whole policy sucks. 

A couple of weeks ago, there were posts on Twitter and on The Ken about how many people now just go abroad for these experiences. I know some friends who’ve been to Abu Dhabi and getting in and out of the venues is seamless, you are treated well and the entire experience is enjoyable, not just the concert or show itself. The challenge there is then navigating the airports and the aircrafts…but if the show is part of a trip abroad, then that works well I guess. 

In the end though, there are few to no good options, especially in Mumbai, for big shows and concerts in large arenas…and I don’t see anything improving in the near future. 

I guess I am in a mood today. Earlier in the morning, I posted my take on the lies of traditional medicine in cancer treatment, specifically because of the mess it makes of people’s lives when they choose to believe that traditional medicine will truly take care of their cancers. 

The Two Lies and the One Moral Failure of Traditional Medicine in Cancers

That traditional medicine in cancer does not cause harm and that it works are lies. The practitioners have serious moral ethical issues to grapple with.

AtmasvasthBhavin Jankharia