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03/02/06 - TAJ LAND'S END HOTEL, BANDRA, MUMBAI Article by Special Correspondent
(The Hindu): Fit
for a king Bangalore: When rock star Bryan Adams is in town for his Third Time Lucky show on Sunday, he will be staying where heads of state and royalty have stayed. The Presidential Suite at Taj West End has been given a new "southern look" for his visit, complete with flower decorations, incense, candles and Indian sweets. The same building, on other suites, accommodated the King of Sweden, President of the Netherlands, the Prince of Dubai, actor Shah Rukh Khan and, of course, Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. Special jacuzzi The Gothic-Victorian structure dates back to the earliest days of the hotel. The bath includes a special jacuzzi tub and there is a "plunge pool" on the ground floor level. Bryan Adams will be received with nadaswaram and drums and draped with a traditional shawl. He will be treated to food which suits his vegan sensibilities. Executive Chef Sandeep Kachroo has arranged fruits of exotic varieties, such as rambuthan and mangosteen. Dessert from the south Breakfast dishes, such as Hare Moong ka Chilla and Tomato Omelette, will be served. Lunch and dinner will include Indian, Vietnamese, and Mediterranean cuisine but the dessert will be from deep South: Ada Pradaman. To celebrate the visit, the West End will host a Bryan Adams Night at its Blue Bar, of course, with canned music from his albums. Set apart from the rest of the hotel, the suite can be reached directly by car and assures Adams complete privacy. Whether some of his die-hard fans still reach him remains to be seen. Performing along with a band, Bryan Adams will enthral crowds here with classic hits. ********** Article
by Monica Mercer (Ahmedabad Newsonline): BRYAN ADAMS was a politically correct machine behind jet-black sunglasses Friday afternoon at the Taj Land’s End Hotel in Bandra, Mumbai. The tickets to the concert he recently played in Karachi, he admitted, were ‘‘quite high’’ by Pakistani standards (starting at 3,500 Pakistani rupees or Rs 2,584 each), but the money from the sales would go straight to last October’s earthquake. When asked what differentiates a die-hard Indian
fan from the rest of his fans across the world, the Canadian pop star said he
didn’t want to confine Indians to a certain country. ‘‘They’re
everywhere I go. There’s always a small contingency of Indians, and I recognise
them by one thing only: their enthusiasm.’’ Clearly the journalists were on their toes. The real McCoy arrived half an hour later at the Masala Bay restaurant in advance of his Mumbai performance tonight and a second one in Bangalore on Sunday. Whereas you could have heard a pin drop in the room when questioning opened up for sponsors of Adams’ third concert series in India, suddenly everyone became chatty, and catty, over the microphone when it came time to exalt the veteran rocker. But Adams seemed impervious to a littany of existential questions befitting a well-respected musician such as, are your songs simple poetry, or do they strive to convey a higher message? Looking very 18 Til I Die in a gritty white button-down and dark jeans rolled up at the ankles, Adams almost had us convinced he has the inferiority complex of a teenager when he responded, ‘‘I try to keep things quite simple. I’m a lowly songwriter. I’m bottom of the barrel.’’ But getting back to reality: The 46-year old Canadian has sustained a 25-year career in the music business with awesome international success, producing songs like Summer of 69 that could easily be the national anthem of any number of countries. No doubt he’s truly seen it all, including during his first foray onto the Indian music scene in Mumbai when Adams recalled that each stage light had its own socket and switch. And that was just in 2001.‘‘It’s remarkable how much this city has changed in the short time I’ve been coming here,’’ Adams said. He also said it goes without saying he’s happy to be back in India for a third time and really looks forward to having a good curry. But perhaps collaboration with an Indian musician would make Adams even more satisfied. The problem? No one has ever approached him. ‘‘I’d like to work with an Indian artist, but no one has ever asked me, and I have no idea how to work out that kind of deal.’’ Anyone interested? ********** Article
by Shridevi Keshavan (DNA Mumbai): Bryan Adams, who is performing in Mumbai on Saturday, talks about his performance and his fascination for this country. It’s his third visit to India, and he claims the enthusiasm of the people here is what brings him back to the country. “Be in the US, the UK, or any other place, I always see a small contingency of Indians. I recognise their enthusiasm,” says Bryan Adams, who is performing Saturday evening in Mumbai. It’s also the Indian curry and the technological change in the city that Bryan finds remarkable. “As an youngster, when I was always travelling with my parents, I was interested in coming to India,” he says. Bryan, who is also a photographer, reminisces his experience at the Queens’ jubilee while talking about the snapshots of India.“I just took one this morning from my window,’’ he laughs. “I will be singing songs that people know and maybe two or three from my latest album Room Service,” he says Bryan. Bryan believes it’s the simplicity of his songs that has made his music last. “My songs are poetry derived from memorable experiences. It’s simple and the reason I’m still around,” he says. Quiz him about his favourite Indian artiste, and he says it’s Anoushka Shankar whom he has interacted with. “She is the only Indian artist I really know. “I will be happy to collaborate with Indian artistes, but don’t know how to go about it,” laughs Bryan. ********** Article
by Staff Reporter (The Hindu): MUMBAI: On the eve of his concert in Mumbai, singer Bryan Adams expressed a desire to collaborate with Indian musicians like Ravi Shankar and his daughter Anoushka Shankar and . On his third visit to India, the rock artist is geared up to enthral the Mumbai fans with all time hits as well as a few new numbers from his latest album "Anthology". Starting at the age of 18 with a one dollar contract, the singer today has 10 Grammy Awards, 12 Platinum hits around the world and album sales exceeding 55 million copies, to his credit. Adams maintains that creativity is not an easy process and considers himself to be "a lowly song writer." "The secret is to put your songs in the car and listen to them. It is a really difficult process and when I probably make 30 songs I'd pick five. And I may really love three of them." Answering curious questions as to which of his favourite songs he would be including in the concert, Adams said he would be playing all the songs that his fans love and some new songs. To a question about recording a live concert, he said, "When you record live you have to do something unique. People would expect old songs and I don't want to do that. In some sense, "Anthology" marks the end of this." Regarding experimenting and collaborating with Indian musicians, he said, "There are so many talented musicians here. Nobody has approached me yet. If they do, it would be good. I have only met Anoushka Shankar and Ravi Shankar. I would love to work with her." He mentioned that before his family settled in Canada he toured several countries and he loves doing concerts all over the world. "India is an incredible place. There is so much energy. And it is getting better compared to earlier years as technology advances. I remember performing on a cricket ground first time. It is great to perform here; I mean otherwise I wouldn't be coming here again right. ... I see Indian fans wherever I play. There is always a contingency of Indian fans. I recognise them by their enthusiasm which is why I keep coming here." Fans here recognise and love Adams for that, apart from his innumerable songs. The stage is set at the MMRDA grounds at Bandra Kurla Complex for the Canadian rocker who has been enchanting millions for 25 years now. | |||
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BA talking to the media
Bryan in the hotel
Adams addressing the press conference in Mumbai in his hotel |
