It was the ‘Someday’ they always sang about

This was one Saturday the weekend siesta wasn't top priority. The excitement that was building up for at least three months had reached its zenith. All roads led to Bambolim.
At 4pm, the crowd began to arrive at the SP Mukherjee stadium. In a couple of hours, there was a serpentine queue, getting longer by the minute.
For a music-loving state, Goa gets precious few big-name live acts.And this concert wasn't just by any big name. Michael Learns to Rock (MLTR) occupies a special space in Goa's musical conscience. Through years of radio airplay, music videos and Catholic weddings, its lyrics and melodies are part of countless memories. And now was the time to let it all out.
But first, the fans would have to endure long lines and large crowds. This was a small price to pay. As soon as the music began, all was forgotten. The opening act, A26, got the crowd going with innovative covers of popular songs. When they were done, MLTR's crew raided the stage, testing instruments, and making sure everything was in place. It took some time, but the crowd didn't mind. After all, they'd waited over twenty years for this. A few minutes more wouldn't hurt.
Then, after a countdown from 25, the Danish band finally showed up on stage. And the crowd erupted in ecstasy. MLTR launched straight into 'Someday', the 1995 hit from the band's album 'Played on Pepper'. Nobody waited for an invitation to join in. Almost immediately, lead singer Jascha Richter was matched note for note by the over 3,000-strong crowd, who seemed to know the lyrics almost as well as he did.
MLTR's oeuvre has a disproportionately large number of hits, at least in Asia. While the band's most popular songs are from its early albums, it played some of its recent material too. Fans of the classics waited patiently as the band alternated between old and new songs. The electrifying vibe that some of its more popular songs sparked stayed put through less familiar terrain too. If it dipped, the band threw yet another hit the crowd's way. Up in the stands, the audience contributed to the visual effects, lit-up mobiles swaying to the timeless ballads an entire generation of Goans grew up listening to.
And the audience had all kinds of people. Entire families, singles, couples, babies, priests — everyone was represented. The babies at the concert had their time in the sun too. Richter dedicated 'Sleeping child' to those who have kids. "We have twelve children between us," he said, gesturing at his band. He must have sensed the confused looks all around, as he quickly clarified, "not just the band. I mean, us, with our respective missus-es."
But throughout, the band didn't miss a beat. All of their hits — from 'The Actor' to '25 minutes', from 'Love will never lie' to 'Take me to your heart', from 'Complicated heart' to a soul-stirring acoustic version of 'I'm gonna be around' — found place in its extensive set list, much to the delight of a packed stadium that couldn't get enough.
Eventually, MLTR saved the best for last. The final part of the concert comprised a flurry of their greatest hits, one after the other. Once done, the band walked off stage. The crowd would have none of it. They waited patiently, calling and cheering. It was loud enough. The band was out again.
This time, they were greeted with louder cheers than during their initial entrance, as the band is known for performing its best-known songs as encores. As the first chords of 'Paint my love' rang out, the roar reached near-deafening levels. The phone torches too were out again, swaying to the familiarity of the rhythm. Knowing the end was close, the crowd didn't let its intensity drop, even as the band began its second encore song, 'Breaking my heart'.
And then the crowd joined in one last time, singing along with Richter what is perhaps MLTR's finest ballad — 'That's why (you go away)'. Now done for real, the band made its final exit to a thunderous ovation, bringing the curtains down on undoubtedly one of Goa's finest concerts in recent years; one that ended with very sore throats, but great memories.