He has won the respect of his peers for helping make ghazals du jour at a time when it was losing its foothold to westernized Indian music. Warm and personable, Udhas easily established a rapport with the audience. Set against a backdrop designed meticulously by DB Event Planners, the concert started (almost) on time. He, along with his entourage, also dined at Shahnaz Irani’s Nizam’s Kitchen after the first concert. While in this city, Udhas also made appearances at Bombay Sweets and Maharani Music Store on Hillcroft and Harwin to meet with fans, untiringly signing autographs and posing for pictures with each and everyone that requested. Both shows drew record audiences and the attention of Udhas who praised and thanked Siddiqi lavishly and lauded him for his creativity, hard work, and professionalism. Siddiqi complied and arranged with the international promoter of Udhas’s World Tour 2012, Mayur Ganger, for the musician to perform here again. Brought to Houston by young impresario Rehan Siddiqi, the first concert was a sold-out show, with fans demanding for an encore presentation. The world-renowned vocalist proved that he was still on top of his game as he held fans enthralled with his melodious voice, with many enthusiastically singing along with the maestro as he rendered his repertoire of hits that included Chitti aayi hai, Chandi jaisa rang, Ghunguroo toot gaye, Sharab cheez hi ayse hai, and App jinke qareeb hote hai. The tour will kick off on September 16 and includes cities such as New Jersey, Los Angeles, Houston, San Jose, Vancouver, Chicago and Austin.HOUSTON: Storied, award-winning ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas performed to capacity crowds at two concerts in this city on April 7 and April 12 at the New Stafford Center on Cash Road. They began their act by singing iconic ghazal ‘Hothon Se Chu Lo Tum’ by Jagjit Singh. The crowd was left mesmerised when the two took the stage to perform a duet. Perhaps, that’s why there is such demand for Atif and me to perform together,” says Sonu. In the past, our concerts together were great. “The purpose of this tour is to showcase the camaraderie between two artistes from different countries. Their concert videos had also gone viral online.
Sonu says though his earlier collaborations with Atif were brief, he enjoyed working with him. Starting this month, Sonu and Atif will perform in New Jersey, Los Angeles, Houston, San Jose, Vancouver, Chicago and Austin.
Sonu further shared that the purpose of the tour was to portray the great rapport the two artists shared. “I am really excited about travelling with Sonu for concerts,” he says.Ītif is also looking forward to performing with the famous Bollywood playback singer.
“Words won’t suffice to express the feeling one has returned to his biggest bliss (music) after so long,” he says.Ītif, too, cannot wait for the tour to begin. Sonu is excited about the trip and has been spending a lot of time rehearsing for the shows. In the past, the two singers have performed together at one-off concerts in Dubai, Malaysia and Singapore. This trip will mark his first-ever tour with artiste Atif Aslam. The singer, who was on bed rest following a knee surgery last March, will travel to the US and Canada next week for a musical tour.
Sonu Nigam is set to return to the stage after a six-month hiatus.