How else can one explain a sleepless night that merges with the first rays of the sun seeping through the airport glasses and there’s not a trace of tiredness. It must be the adrenaline rush. Or whatever it may be, it’s surely a once in a lifetime experience.
The first three concerts of Dabangg Reloaded Tour in Atlanta (June 22nd), Chicago (June 23rd) and Los Angeles (June 24th) have been like a whirlwind of brilliance that has swept me off the feet completely.
Planning is very crucial for managing the shows of this magnitude. When you are heading to Chicago from Atlanta, you’re gaining an hour and once you reach Los Angeles from Chicago, you’ve gained a couple of hours. Such planning allows the big crew of over 150 people to get some extra hours of badly needed sleep while the technical team gets additional time for setting up the stage. And trust me, it’s a big stage.
As I am writing this, we are heading to Dallas, where we lose around two hours but then the show is tomorrow, so there’s a lot of time for everyone to get acclimatized. The planning for other shows follows this pattern as well. I’ve been covering the Dabangg tour since Hong Kong.
Mobile phone is my weapon. The current mobile phone that I have is a killer. Literally. For, the camera is truly excellent. Salman Khan was about to do his iconic Jag Ghoomiya step in Atlanta and I switched to the slow-motion mode. By the time it ended, the red hearts engulfed the frame and it looked beautiful.
It was a treat to watch Jacqueline Fernandez and Salman Khan sway in slow motion on ‘I Found Love’ in Chicago, Katrina’s Dhoom and Sonakshi’s magical moves looked divine in slow motion.
I thoroughly enjoy Manish Paul’s interactions with the audience and his segments with Salman Khan are hilarious. The best part is that Manish is always so spontaneous. And he keeps on surprising with new one-liners.
Guru Randhawa turns the arena into a party zone. This is his first concert tour in North America and he is impressing one and all with his talent. What I find very touching are his constant reminders to the crowd to respect their family, especially their parents.
Prabhudeva’s classic dancing and Daisy Shah’s new found confidence post – Race 3 increases the heat. Daisy ends her Act with ‘Our business is our business, none of your business’ dialogue.
When I look at the videos and pictures post the shows, I get fascinated by the colours in the backdrop, the magic of LEDs, the classy props. The brilliant production values make our pictures and videos look like million dollars and the impact during the show is tremendous.
A special mention for Salman Khan. He’s such a good looking stylish man, that he makes the pictures and videos stand out. Each time.
