Too little, too late

Michael Learns To Rock who have till date played to huge concerts in India, perform in front of a few hundreds .

Danish band, Michael Learns To Rock, which has a huge following in India, played inside Enigma, at the JW Marriott, on Wednesday night. Why would a band, which attracted close to 20, 000 people on September 28, 2005, at MMRDA in Bandra, play for just 300 people? Says drummer Kare Wencher, “We have played at bigger live concerts in India. This was more of a promotional tour, so we did two small shows. Next time, we’ll come back to do live concerts.”

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The show started at 11 pm with the ballad ‘Sleeping child.’ The crowd was a mix of 20 to 60-year-olds who sang all the songs except for the ones from the band’s new album, Eternity, which they were promoting. “We are very happy. The crowd sang along throughout the show,” says an ecstatic Kare.

Crowd control
An intoxicated fan who sat on a speaker close to the stage, repeatedly challenged the band ‘not to be like Boyzone,’ and play ‘Someday.’ He did get MLTR to sing the song later. Kare says, “We love our fans here. Indians are really into music and we’ve played our biggest concerts here,” he states.

So when will they have bigger concert in India? Kare confides, “We might come at the end of the year or early next year. We are doing all we can to make it happen.” So what’s stopped MLTR from touring India since 2005? “I don’t know. We’d love to come here more often. It’s great that we don’t have to follow any rules in India. But sometimes, it’s up to the promoters to make a concert happen. We are always ready,” he says.

Back at the hotel, the band has been gorging on local delicacies. Says the hotel’s food and beverage manager, Julien Lloyd, who escorted MLTR to their rooms, “Except for breakfast, the band members have been only eating Indian food for lunch and dinner.”