Out-of-job musicians hold concert, signature campaign

Musicians who have been rendered jobless by the government of Maharashtra’s recent order, held a live concert on the outskirts of the city on Sunday evening as a sign of solidarity.

Musicians who have been rendered jobless by the government of Maharashtra’s recent order, held a live concert on the outskirts of the city on Sunday evening as a sign of solidarity.

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The government’s order stated that standalone restaurants will have to pay Rs 1 lakh a month and five-star hotels will have to offer Rs 2 lakh a month, for them to have live performances on their premises. Says one of the organisers, Lindsay Pitter, “This was an effort by the music fraternity to express solidarity for all those who have been left jobless.”

The event, aptly titled Live Live Music, kicked off at around 5 pm and finished at around 10 pm. The organisers expected a huge turnout, but not many made it. "We are happy with the turnout. A lot of our supporters couldn’t make it because of the distance they needed to cover," adds Lindsay. Everything at the venue from lights, sounds to refreshments was sponsored. Even though the three-acre long venue could fit a crowd of 5,000, only a few hundred

came. A signature campaign was also launched.

The five hour long performance included solo acts, house and progressive rock bands and Bollywood musicians. A group of in-house musicians like Casi, Suresh, Shanon and Shubert were backed by singers Asif Ali Beg, Mihir Joshi, Dominique Serejo, Samantha Edwards, Clinton, Reena Vaz and Shazneen Arethna. The Suraj Jaggan Band, Summer Pint Junkies, Hindi rock band Rio and Mira Road band Ghettos also performed. Shibani Kashyap and Manasi Scottt showed up at the event.