Bollywood’s hottest playback singer, Arijit Singh, made his London debut at the Indigo Arena on Friday 29 August, as part of his ‘Tum Hi Ho’ UK tour. The 27-year-old performed to a sell-out crowd at the popular venue, located within The O2, and was literally setting the stage on fire with his enchanting voice.
Hosted by the BBC’s Anushka Arora, the concert kicked off with a special appearance from popular singer Aditi Singh Sharma, who set the mood right by singing some of her most loved songs, which included ‘Offo,’ ‘Raabta’ and ‘Dhoom Machale Dhoom.’ Aditi looked amazing on the night and her vocals were delivered at the perfect pitch. She managed to get the audiences to sing along with her and was also not afraid to shake a leg to some of her upbeat tracks. Aditi was a great surprise for the audiences and she was a professional throughout her brief appearance.
Just after Aditi’s exit, the audience’s screams and chants got even louder as they were waiting eagerly for the man himself to enter the stage. At around 8pm, Arijit finally made his London stage debut and what better song to start off with than with his megahit ‘Tum Hi Ho,’ from Aashiqui 2 (2013). This was the song which every single member of the audience was screaming for before he walked on stage and Arijit rocked the stage with his voice and performance to this classic track. A special mention should be given to Arijit’s band that gave the song a nice twist to it. It did not feel like you were just hearing the original version and was arranged well in order to give the song an edgy flavour.
Following ‘Tum Hi Ho,’ Arijit then moved on to singing some of his other iconic tunes like the romantic ‘Phir Mohabbat,’ the soulful ‘Kabhi Jo Badal Barse,’ the evergreen ‘Mast Magan,’ the upbeat ballad ‘Ilahi,’ and the mellow ‘Suno Na Sangemarmar.’ Arijit also did some duets with singer Supriya Pathak, which included the wonderful ‘Chahun Main Ya Naa’ from Aashiqui 2, as well as Har Ki Ko from Boss (2013) and ‘Duaa’ from Shanghai (2013).
The concert went into a 20 minute break before the lovely Aditi Singh Sharma returned to the stage to get the audiences dancing on their feet. She sang flawlessly and in an upbeat manner to hits like ‘London Thumakda,’ ‘Ainvayi Ainvayi,’ ‘Badtameez Dil’ and ‘Subha Hone Na De.’ Again, Aditi was not afraid to dance along with the audiences and she added to the memories which many will have of that night!
Before the second half of the concert commenced, Arijit was bestowed with the 2014 Youth Icon Award by Sanam Arora, President of the National Indian Students Union. This was presented to Arijit by the organization in recognition for his work and the overwhelming impact he has had on the Indian youth in such a short period of time.
Arijit then moved swiftly on to the second half of the concert by performing some tributes to classics like ‘Pehla Nasha,’ ‘Lag Jaa Gale’ and ‘Jo Wada Kiya Woh Nibhana Padega.’ He also did some tribute songs to recent hits like ‘Be Intehaan,’ and ‘Tu Jaane Na.’ Arijit also did a splendid rendition of the popular hit song ‘Sun Raha Hai Na Tu’ from Aashiqui 2, which got a roaring response from the crowds. His version was unique and well performed and also erases the wonder which surely many fans have if this was initially sung by him as opposed to Ankit Tiwari.
Arijit then finished off the concert by singing a few more of his much appreciated songs like the emotional ‘Samjhawan,’ the lovely ‘Muskuraane,’ the poignant ‘Raabta,’ and the wonderful ‘Phir Le Aaya Dil.’ He also sung to the melodious ‘Kabira’ along with Supriya Pathak; this was the song which fans were screaming for consistently during the night and Arijit did not fail to deliver upon their request!
To sum up, I found Arijit Singh’s ‘Tum Hi Ho’ concert to be one of the best live events I have ever attended. Though I, along with many of his fans, was slightly disappointed that he didn’t sing certain songs like ‘Dilliwali Girlfriend,’ ‘Palat, Tera Hero Idhar Hai,’ as well as ‘Ae Dil Bata,’ nevertheless; I still think Arijit did enough on the night to please us all. His voice was superb throughout the show and he demonstrated a range of vocal notes which got the audiences excited.
It’s true when they say that first impressions are lasting impressions. In the case of Arijit Singh’s first ever UK concert; I would say that he gave me and his fans enough memories on the night that will last a lifetime! Thank you Arijit for an unforgettable concert!
Also check out the great pictures from Arijit’s concerts in London and Leicester!
