KARACHI: Lockdown, disease, depression … it seemed, for a long while, that entertainment such as listening to live music by being at the venue will merely be a dream for a long time.

Well, it proved wrong on Sunday evening as pop star Asim Azhar enthralled music lovers for more than an hour and a half at Port Grand by singing his heart out in his distinct animated style.

It was heartening to see a huge number of youngsters — wearing masks, of course — gathered in front of the stage which was nicely lit. Prior to Azhar’s arrival, a few opening acts tried to keep them engaged, but once the pop singer appeared on stage, a loud cheer erupted from the crowd, filling the air with youthful exuberance.

The singer began the show with his well-known song ‘Ghalat fehmi’. It had lovely bass riffs which instantly got the audience grooving to the beat.

He soon switched to his Coke Studio tracks that catapulted him to national fame. The song ‘Yaarian’, too, was very well received.

The young artist did not limit himself to his own songs or compositions. He mixed up the playlist by belting out famous tracks sung by his contemporaries or senior musicians. For example, ‘Tumhein dillagi bhool jaani’ (by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan) was intelligently played with a dash of pop to it. No different was his version of ‘Dum Mast’. The rhythm pattern made boys and girls — the latter seemed to outnumber the former — sing their lungs out or sway to the beat of the drums to display their talent in the open air.

That said, it was the uber-romantic tune ‘Tera woh piyar’ which elevated the concert to another level. The beautifully composed romantic number, originally performed as a duet with Momina Mustehsan, proved right for the day (it was Feb 14). Azhar sang it with a lot of heart.

Then came the foot-tapping ‘Yeh hai Karachi’, the official song for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) cricket team Karachi Kings.

Who doesn’t know that cricket and music are two things that Pakistanis have inordinate love for?

It was encouraging to see in these extremely difficult times a semblance of normality returning to city life which transported lovers of art to the good old pandemic-free days when concerts, stage plays and conferences took place without fear. One sincerely hopes it remains that way.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2021