Every year I look forward to this event in Delhi. Its the only major rock gig Delhi has, apart from the handful of pub gigs. I have been attending it since I was in Class 12th. I remember going for it the first time with my brother's friends. I fell in love instantly. It has been 8 years now. Everything about it is magical. The music, the venue, the sound checks, the crowd, the oh-so-pretty rock chicks, even the li'l fillers they play between bands..I love 'em all. I swear the Killer Tomatoes tune still rings at the back of my head. In fact that song, rather those riffs are the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of GIR. Previously, they used to schedule it in Feb every year but ever since 2008 (I think), they shifted it to later in the year - Nov-Dec.
Well, today was the fateful day. It was Day 1 of the festival, featuring a monster line-up of mostly international bands. There was Demonic Resurrection (the sole Indian band) to start things off. It was followed by the norwegian metal band - Purified in Blood. Next was Tesseract from the UK and the finale was by Enslaved. There was supposed to be one more "Red Bull" band which was to perform but somehow they dint show up.
Our plan was to meet up at Mayur Vihar Phase 1 metro station. Viral, his bro and his friend Panshul were coming from Noida. As soon as the train came, Viral came out looking for me and I went inside the train at the same time. There was some confusion; he couldnt get back in the train and was left all alone at Mayur Vihar! It was soo funny. We waited for him at the Pragati Maidan station though.
After walking for 20 minutes or so, we reached Hamsadhwani Open air theater. Hamsadhwani always gets my adrenaline going...there's something bout the place. We got our tickets and stood in a long line which looked more like a circle. We could hear the bands doing their sound check. I love the sound check..its a nice preview of what's gonna happen and you are never bored while standing in line. Its like a nicely made appetizer.
Anyways, the show started at 6 pm, an hour later than what was scheduled. The show went something like this:
1. Demonic Resurrection
They are awesome. Although I must admit when I heard them for the first 2 times, I dint like 'em. I was not used to death/black metal at the time. Now, I have matured :) Anyways, they were really tight on the stage and after the first song, everyone was on their feet with the mosh pits happening in every song. They sounded so badass during Bound by blood, fire and stone and my favourite - Apocalyptic Dawn. They were really good...and a perfect start to the gig. Their set list was very short though..I think just 4 songs..cuz they started late and stuff. That was the sad part.
2. Purified By Blood
They are from Norway and a relatively new band. They sound really cool. They have these sweet crunchy guitar bits in their song which makes your head go in a perpetual up and down motion. I have their album Under black Skies. I had heard of 2 songs in their setlist - Thunderheads and Death Priest. They were all awesome though. Usually the international acts suck at GIR (except for Enslaved and the one lucky night when John Myung had come). They kicked as*! It suddenly sunk in that the show had indeed begun!
3. Tesseract
I had my doubts when they started off. I dunno, maybe their guitars weren't loud enuf or there were some sound problems..but after the first song, I was like..they would be a waste. However, from the next song onwards, they were bang on target. They were different...they had various time signatures in their song..and they used to change it *snap* - just like that. It was awesome. Their drummer and their bass guitarist were awesome! I loved the tempo changes and their song structures. I hadn't heard of them before but now I would definitely look them up. I had never heard a progressive metal band perform live and Tesseract certainly nailed it!
4. Enslaved
Ohh man!..these guys are f*ckin amazing. Last time when they had come here, they literally tore everything apart. It was the same story today as well. They were awesome. The best band of the night. I absolutely loved the song Ground which they dedicated to Purified in Blood. They were a perfect finish to an awesome night. I head banged like crazy throughout their set list. Ppl moshed like anything. They are a treat to watch and were no different today as well.
Tomorrow's gonna be another huge day. Meshuggah would be the headlining act!! Tomorrow, all are Indian bands except for Meshuggah (doh!). I can't wait!!
The only sad thing about all of this was the attendance. Usually the place is jam packed. But this time, the last rows were empty. Maybe it was due to the exceptionally high ticket rates. The pretty girls weren't there today..the only sad part of the whole evening.
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