“The Indian concert scene is morbid,” declares an event organiser from Delhi who’d rather not be named. The sentiment is echoed by every stakeholder, be it the attendees, the performers, and even some of the promoters. For a country that loves its stars and music, India has not been able to up its game in terms of hosting mega concerts. But the end of 2024 could change that. Diljit Dosanjh’s Dil-Luminati Tour kicks that off pre-Diwali, and Coldplay takes that up a notch. But is India – and, more importantly, the organisers – prepared? (Also read: Dua Lipa on her India concert: My last trip to the country was a beautiful reminder of how much I love this place)
Why Diljit Dosanjh’s tour is important
The Dil-Luminati Tour from Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh has come to India after wowing fans in Europe and North America. It would not be a stretch to say that Diljit is the biggest Indian pop artist right now. His concert in Delhi will be attended by 35,000 fans on Saturday evening. An equal number will fill the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday. The tour is a litmus test for entrepreneur Deepinder Goyal’s ZomatoLive, his platform to rival BookMyShow in India. ZomatoLive has not hosted a tour of this magnitude before. And for Goyal’s aspirations of a world-class experience to come true, a lot has to go right.
The problems that ail concerts in India
The concert scene in India has suffered due to several factors, including a combination of a lack of culture and infrastructural woes. “The organisers and promoters often oversell. They conceptualise the tour and concert and then try to fit that vision into whatever available venue they get. That leads to issues like overcrowding or lack of proper fire exits etc. In the west, the venue and everything else is decided before the tour planning begins. That needs to change,” says an event organiser from Delhi. Sarthak, a DJ and promoter, adds, “The biggest issue is the culture. People want jugaad in everything and access for free. That mindset means there is no respect for the artiste or the event. Everything is about showing off and being there.”
Goyal has tried to curb the freeloaders, at least. After he announced the Zomato Feeding India Concert featuring Dua Lipa, he shared that he received many messages for ‘free passes’. “I’ve been getting a lot of messages for free passes to the concert. Interestingly, all these requests are from people who can very well pay for these tickets. At my end, I am leaving all such messages on seen,” Goyal posted on Twitter. (Also read: Deepinder Goyal slams people texting him for free Dua Lipa concert passes)
Can the game change?
The effort to bypass the free pass culture and select the biggest venues – JLN Stadium in Delhi, for one – is a step in the right direction for these mega-events. But a lot of other things are in play as well. Anyone who has attended a gig in India knows that more than the time spent at the venue, the spent getting there and then back home matters. Whether it is JLN in Delhi or BKC in Mumbai, traffic woes become the biggest concern. That is, perhaps, out of ZomatoLive’s hands, but a better-organised concert will lend credibility to the scene, and then perhaps, the administration can also up their game.
“Music fans are willing to put up with the odd inconvenience,” says Avinash, who is heading to Diljit’s Delhi concert on Sunday, “The organisers just need to give us the basic facilities. The experience is killed if you don’t even have proper washrooms, exit lines, or some support. That is all that we ask for.”