PUNE: The city rocked to Pentagram's high-energy and adrenaline-pumping music at the Ishanya Mall Amphitheatre, as the Times Pune Festival drew to a close on Sunday evening.
Some stupendous performance by band members Vishal Dadlani on the vocals, Randolph Correia as the lead guitarist, Shiraz Bhattacharya on the drums and Makrand Mane, aka Papal, as the bassist, had the crowds screaming for more.
"Are you ready?" yelled Vishal, as he came on to the stage. When the crowd roared out a big "Yes", he said, "Because, if you are, I want you up on your feet and out of your seats." The audience needed no further encouragement and was up and swinging within seconds, as the band broke into their track Ten'.
The ambience was perfect and the music was accompanied by some great water shows and laser lighting in the background, which only added to the crowd's delight. The band soon followed up their original track Ten', with another popular track Animal' from their album, It's Ok, It's All Good'.
"It is a good tight performance and they are playing a great mix of industrial, techno and electric rock. I am having a fabulous time," said Sheetalchandra Kulkarni, who also plays in a band.
While the crowd mainly comprised youngsters, there were even a few senior citizens around, who did not mind shaking a leg or two. A couple in their 50s, who seemed to be enjoying the music thoroughly, smiled, "We have grandchildren who love this kind of sound and so do we!"
For graphic designer Jhanvi Puri, attending the rock concert was a new experience. "I am not much of a rock-music lover. But I liked it here and what truly strikes me is the beauty of the lyrics," she said, after listening to another one of Pentagram's popular tracks Voice'.
The band even dedicated one of Bob Marley's tracks, Get Up, Stand Up' to Marley himself, saying people should take the rock icons advice in this song seriously and stand up for their rights. Some of the other tracks the band belted out included Electric', Bad Man' and Drive'.
"The energy here is mind boggling and the performance is amazing. I am having a blast," said software professional Abhijeet Ranade.
Mid-way through the show, Vishal took to the mike and jokingly reprimanded the audience for being "sleepy". This had the desired effect and, soon, everyone present was chanting and singing along with the band.
The connect that the foursome established with the crowd was beyond belief and the interaction added a lot of charm to the show. Like, when Vishal said, "We will change the world in the next few months. Because it is our country. We want to take charge and work for the good of the nation, rather than giving it up to people who do nothing." This statement was evidently received by loud cheers.
Though the band mostly sang its original tracks, they left the crowd a frenzied lot with their own versions of Desire' by U2 and Smack My Bitch Up' by Prodigy.
Thus, the Times Pune Festival, which saw some marvellous performances through the week, drew to an electrifying end.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pune/Pune_Pulsates_With_Pentagram/art...
