The Overture

When PSG was graced with notes that were played and not studied.

Leading economists feel that the best way to spend is by saving, but the small yet jaunty crowd that attended the Overture concert disagree and with good reason.

The air was chilly, the pavements damp, the sky grey and the F Block auditorium reverberating. The Tek Music team refused to be put down by the harsh weather or by the repeated delays. They were defiant, they were on a roll and bombastic, for they are our very own ‘The Big Band Theory‘.
 

The show was scheduled to start at 5 pm, but the weather diluted the crowd and the enthusiasm of those who made it to the auditorium. Amidst the gruelling classes and assignments, the students present there probably saw this as their trip to Willy Wonka’s factory; their agitated eyes constantly checked if the band’s sound check would give way for the actual performance anytime soon. A set of parents were there, eager and trying to put the butterflies in their stomachs to rest. Afterall your child’s moment under the spotlight is for you to live in bliss, is it not?    

The rhythm section had probably signed an MoU with the guitarists: They were in a harmonious sync right from the first track, when the crowd looked sedated till the very last track. You can be the best surgeon but your surgery requires an able support staff. The best tailor can’t design a wear out of thin air; he needs a stable workplace and a workbench to support him. Despite the limelight being hogged by the singers, it would not have been held on, had it not been for the rollicking support system the instrumentalists gave them. With Nirmal and Harini setting tone behind the percussions, Senthil adding depth on the bass, Karthik, Pranesh and Siddharth on the keys, Benita’s mellifluous flute and Vignesh’s triple act behind the keys ‘n’ bass and on the guitar set the stage on fire. ‘Neruppuda’ much?

The first song ‘Konjum Mainakale’ indicated that the crowd was in for a fancy ride and the ensuing performance of ‘Sirikkadhey’ made it feel like a demo version of augmented reality. We were in the auditorium but every time the line ‘Nenaika theriyadha adai mazhaiye?’ was mellifluously intoned, it felt like we were being caressed by the rain outside. Sri Prasanna’s rendition of ‘Maruvaarthai Pesadhe’ elicited a roaring response; the guitar, the flute, the drums and the interspersed claps played the song. The crowd lost it when he hit the high notes. Atul brought the sedated boys in the back to the front and with the crowd hanging onto his every note, he delivered ‘Shape of You’ as a participatory chorus, because who does not memorize those lyrics when the song is blaring from every phone and is every other person’s ringtone!

‘Adiye’  by Drishya was performed with gusto and she gave many guys in the hall some baritone goals while also enthralling us with some impromptu moves. ‘Saaratu Vandiyilla’ reiterated that going folksy is classy. Sri Prasanna and Samyuktaa Balaji waltzed through ‘Kadhalikum Penin Kaigal’ and hooked us to their performance. Even Kim Jong Un would have dropped his cracker toys for those five minutes, only to bounce to their peppy rendition! The Tek Music’s cover version of ‘Vaa Machane’ was booming and people lost quite a few calories by grooving in sync with few of the performers’ classy impromptu moves.

And has any concert ever ended without an Ilayaraaja song? Sairam and Sri Prasanna’s ‘Meagham Thatattum’ accompanied by the drummer’s solo mastery took care of the due. To wrap up the evening, the crowd was treated with a rocking performance of ‘Potu vecha Kaadhal Thittam,OK Kanmani’ .

Samyuktha, Manasa, Sonali, Sahana, Drishya, Supraja, Mukund, Oviya, Sai Ram, Sri Prasanna and Atul – These people were the voice of the team and their music gave us the true feeling of being in a rock concert. By the end of the evening, though the rain had subsided, the applause had not. The whistling and the occasional screaming were not for the songs’ popularity or the memories they triggered but for the merit of the team’s performance and the memories they helped to make that evening.

The rains might have affected the turnout for the Tek Music’s show, but the attendees of the concert feel that the best form of investment is not in saving but in savouring!