AP Dhillon mesmerises city crowds
Punjabi music sensation AP Dhillon raised the temperature on a cold night at his concert in Chandigarh today, mesmerising the packed audience with his chart-topping hits and infectious energy. City’s music lovers thronged the venue, eager to witness his unique blend of Punjabi folk, hip-hop and R&B.
Third concert in December alone, the Administration pulled out all stops to make it a hassle-free experience for the fans. Taking a cue from the previous concerts of Karan Aujla and Diljit Dosanjh, this one was held at the Sector 25 rally ground. As parking facilities were at a distance, people had to walk for more than a kilometer to reach the venue. Even Dhillon accompanied by song writer Shinda Kahlon acknowledged their fans’ love as they had to walk in cold weather to reach the venue and promised them a fun night.
Unlike Diljit’s concert, Dhillon got centrestage, with fans all around him. Dhillon made an entry from within the crowd and started with the song, ‘takeover’, which was the name of his last tour in Chandigarh back in 2021. Coming back to City Beautiful after three years, he came with two surprise artistes this time. First came singer-song writer Anuv Jain, who serenaded with his popular single Husn. Jazzy B who has collaborated with Dhillon for his latest release 315, also made an entry. He was the energetic surprise as he sang his old songs ‘gaddi mor ke’ and ‘tera roop’, making the audience go mad by breaking into bhangra. Even after five years, Dhillon’s ‘brown munde’ got the loudest roar from the audience and so was the guitar versions of song ‘dil nu’.
As Dhillon thanked the veteran Punjabi singer for being humble even after 31 years of career, he also took a dig at Diljit, who had given his best wishes to Aujla and Dhillon for their tour, at the Chandigarh concert. Dhillon without disclosing much called it a marketing stunt as he said, ‘Bhaji pehlan Instagram te unblock tan kar do’ (referring to the fact that Dhillon has been blocked on Dosanjh’s Instagram handle). “They talk about unity, but the reality is different,” he said.
As for the venue, for those concert lovers who had attended previous ones hailed Sector 34 accessibility over Sector 25 ground. There were a few who were not happy with the organisers for not using carpets as they had to walk on dusty and rough path to the concert before being screened at the entrances. Many females in the crowd also held it against the organisers for they were not allowed to carry cosmetic items inside the venue.
Daily commuters faced inconvenience as traffic was diverted to accommodate around 20,000 people and their cars at various parking places around Sector 25. The situation was no different when the fans left the venue around 10 pm. There were long traffic jams in nearby sectors. Mobile thefts were also reported at the concert venue.
Meanwhile, to make night visibility better, Chandigarh police installed portable lamps on the road meridian near the rally ground.
