BENGALURU : In its golden era of music, Bengaluru had witnessed a wave of global acts, from Joe Satrianni’s set in 2005 to veteran guitarist Slash playing to the crowds in 2015. But the recent years have witnessed musicians give a miss to the city, the prime reason being unavailability of suitable performance venues.
This complaint of music lovers in the city may get some relief, with a multi-purpose arena coming up at the southern access of the airport premises. The initiative, launched by Embassy Group and Phase 1 Experiences, aims to create a technologically-advanced venue capable of hosting multi-genre events, ranging from concerts to sporting events and mega-conferences. The project will be completed in 18-24 months, Oum Pradutt, founder and managing director, Phase 1 Experiences, said, adding that the yet-to-be-named venue will provide ease in accessibility for artistes and spectators alike.
The project will have adequate parking spaces, and will implement sustainable measures like water conservation and plastic-free environment, Aditya Virwani, COO, Embassy Group, said. Live Nation, the American entertainment firm that recently brought rock outfit U2 to India, will come on board as consultants while music entrepreneur and festival curator, Nikhil Chinapa, will function as the strategy and communications lead.
Paul Antonio, president, Asia and Middle East, Live Nation, said, “We are pleased to be able to contribute to the establishment of this world-class venue, both in terms of supporting the mobilisation, and subsequently, the programming of international artistes. We look forward to bring our touring artistes and live events here as soon as the doors open, and for years to come.” Chinnapa emphasised on the venue serving as a platform for the entire arts, music, theatre and entertainment sector.
Musicians in the city are welcoming the development. Singer-songwriter Raghu Dixit expressed his happiness over the initiative, saying apprehensions that the venue is coming up on the outskirts are unfounded. “Fans will travel to any extent to catch their favourite artistes. We’ve also seen this in the past,” he told CE.
Singer-songwriter Khalid Ahamed also stated that the plan will work as a solution to the ongoing clampdown on live music. “Though the distance may prove to be challenging, this does speak volumes for the artistes, and availability of state-of-the-art performance platforms,” Ahamed said. Singer-lyricist Aabha Hanjura agreed that this brings happy news for musicians, especially with performance venues shutting down. “This will allow concerts to be organised at a global level,” she said.