Crossblade Punjabi Music Festival Day 2 Review: Darshan Raval, B Praak Enchant Fans With Pop Medleys
Day 2 at the Crossblade Music Festival got kick-started a little late for us at Score but by the time we reached the venue, punjabi music fans had already started storming to the Mahalaxmi Lawns in Pune in large numbers. The crowd was palpably larger than Day 1 although not large enough to cause havoc for the management. At this moment, we would also like to appreciate the efforts of the organisation staff whose effective handling at fest did not for once created a situation of turmoil at the bar, facilities, stage, or even at the food stalls and photo booths.
As we reached the venue, Asees Kaur was belting out the crescendo of her popular hit Tere Bin on stage, and the flock of fans superseding the stage, grooving and humming along, seemed to be having a great time. But, it did not take long for them to leave the groove and hurry to the adjacent stage where Dhvani Bhanushali had begun her set. The pastiche of bollywood hits sung by the singer did feel a little repetitive, considering the fact that every artist at the fest had overlapping songs in their set list, but the cadence and rhythms still felt on point. The real party began after Dhavni’s set, when desi hip hop legend Manj Musik blazed the stage with old RDB hits like Aaloo Chaat, Aaja Maahi, Singh is King and more. Sporting track pants with Obama’s face and campaign motto – Yes, We Can – the punjabi mc left no stone unturned in hyping the vibe while delivering quickfire verses one after the other.
It was time for Tony Kakkar to serenade the audience with his retro jams. The set that began with love songs like Deheeme Dheeme and Ankhiyaan seemingly transitioned into more peppy numbers like Cola Cola, Bijli Ka Taar, Yaari hai, and gave fans a wholesome listening experience. Each song was peppered with a heart-warming intro that ushered emphatic starts and blended in with the next track. Tony Kakkar’s performance was the lone exception at the fest where an artist delivered without any tackiness but with the indulgent poweress of the voice and melody. Darshan Raval followed a similar pattern as far as the set list goes and combined it with the ample theatrics and charisma to make the crowd sing along to songs like Bekhudi, Baarish Lete Aana, and others followed by dance hits like Chogada. The set was well-crafted, using every trick in the bag from t-shirt throwdowns to ending the set with Super Mario’s iconic theme track.
B Praak, dressed effortlessly in a pink suit, gave the fans everything that they paid for – lengthy guitar riffs, admirable falsettos of Jannat, heartwarming lyrics of Rabba Ve, seamless octaves of love medleys, and pulsating beats from Jaani. The performance was a complete paisa vasool and brought about a fitting end to the two-day Punjabi extravaganza that was Crossblade Punjabi Music Festival.
