It was some time in 2005 that I got first introduced to this song Giriraja Sutha (named Giriraj Sudha by the artists on their CD et al) by my good friend and partner at Music Aloud, Praveen VR. The song turned out to be a landmark song in my life for multiple reasons. That was probably the time I really started paying attention to the genre of fusion music, a major share of the office bandwidth was utilized in subsequent days in a mad rush to procure songs by various fusion bands. And that was the time Shankar Mahadevan, to me, got promoted to a pedestal above other contemporary film singers, this rendition of his (and other fusion songs of his I heard later on) totally floored me. And most importantly, that was the time I got introduced to the guitar God named John McLaughlin, and the fusion band Remember Shakti comprised, apart from him and Shankar M, of Zakir Hussain, U Srinivas and Selvaganesh Vinaykram. Hundreds of fusion songs I have heard since then, but this band has always remained special. I was lucky enough to catch them live when they came to Bangalore in 2006. One of the best concerts I have attended to date.

So coming to the point this post was supposed to be about, in February this year I shall be graced with that fortune yet again, when the band is making another of its concert tours in 5 different cities in India. Below is the schedule of the tour (source: johnmclaughlin.com). The tickets can be booked via bookmyshow. So if you love fusion music, mark off your calendars and make plans – this is one concert you DO NOT want to miss. They do not tour very often, for one thing.

• 5th February Ganesh Kala Kreeda Manch, Pune
• 7th February Shanmukhananda Auditorium, Mumbai
• 9th February Palace ground– Mekri Circle, Kaveri Junction, Bangalore
• 10th February Lalit Palace Ground– Hyderabad
• 11th February Music Academy Hall– M G ROAD, Chennai
• 12th February King George School, Dadar, Mumbai

And below are two songs from the band, to guide you in your decision making.

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