The queue snaked around the venue and it took most people anywhere between 30-40 minutes to finally make their way inside for the annual SuperSalt 2019. That’s the kind of excitement this annual performance event’s artist line-up for this year generated. The event boasted the participation of over 50 artists and major acts such as resident DJ Hussain Dosa, Baloch Twins, Ali Gul Pir, Shamoon Ismail, Meesha Shafi and Hamza Akram Qawwal.
SuperSalt 2019 was the second annual event hosted by Salt Arts, an event management company that has fast established a reputation for hosting well-executed, high-end performances by a carefully curated select group of artists and performers from across Pakistan (and at times, beyond) and from various musical genres.
The main concert was being held at the Arts Council open-air amphitheatre located on one side of the venue. The other side was dedicated to a few select food and beverage vendors, independent artists and ‘ethical’ fashion clothing brands. Since performances were going to be taking place throughout the afternoon and evening, the idea was that people would be free to move between these two spaces.
Running the show is chief at Salt Arts Raania Azam Khan Durrani who could be spotted at the sound stage at the farther end of the amphitheater with a clear view of the audience next to and below her.
By the time I made my way into the amphitheater, there was hardly any space, it was that full. A far cry from the first SuperSalt concert last year. “We had about 600 people back then,” says Raania. “At the same venue. It was half-empty.”
Salt Arts put together its second annual musical performance event last week. After the enthusiastic response to SuperSalt 2019, we might just see live concerts make a comeback in our lifetime
She and her manager scoured the amphitheatre sometime last year when they were looking for venues to host the first SuperSalt. She mentions sitting on one of the benches and remembering that back in the day, “When we were young, we used to watch Junoon concerts there. So, we decided to use it. We spent three days and had it cleaned. We painted it. We’re invested in that space. And we did the same this year. I’m not sure if we’ll do the next one here, because this has gotten too big. But perhaps we could do smaller events — we want to invest in smaller cultural institutions. It’s such a privilege to work on a proper stage.” As opposed to? “A garden!” she laughs.
I spent most of the evening with a view from the backstage area. Right up to the very front of the stage, the amphitheatre was packed with people. And surprisingly (in a good way) with women. How many people were there? “I’ll be honest,” says Raania, “we didn’t even sell that many tickets. We sold about 1,500 tickets and we gave away 600 comps [complimentary passes] — sometimes out of courtesy and sometimes out of pressure.”