Enrique’s Pune concert saw a lathicharge by the police as students from Raipur, Bhilai head out for the concert

Raipur and Bhilai might be a little low on the gig quotient (remember the recent Honey Singh cancellation fiasco?), but the cities are definitely not lacking in enthusiasm. As Spanish singing sensation Enrique Iglesias wrapped up his concerts in Pune and Delhi on Wedneday and Friday respectively, and was headed to Bengaluru to perform on October 21, legions of his fans in Chhattisgarh were headed out as they just couldn’t miss their favourite pop star in action.
Utkarsh Pandey, who studies in Rajkumar College in Raipur, not only attended the Pune concert with his friends, but was also going for the Bengaluru concert. “We definitely are crazy concert lovers. While we got the Pune tickets very easily, aisa lagta hai ki Bangalore ke liye tickets ko black mein khareedna hoga, because it’s not that easy to get tickets now,” Utkarsh told us. When we asked him if he was a little apprehensive about security, as Enrique’s Pune concert saw a lathicharge by the police, he didn’t look worried. “There is no option but to ‘face the music’ in case the crowd gets unruly! But in Pune, the crowd did not face much inconvenience. It was the organisers who were thrashed,” he replied.
Gagan Juneja, a student from the same college, said, “We have been following international concerts for a long time, and this guy (Enrique) has rocked the world of music. No disco night is complete without his songs, and we have seen the crowd going almost mad at his performances.” His friends Ankit Singh Deo, Pranjal Tripathi and Madhav Sharma too were going along for the Bengaluru concert.
Twenty-year-old Shrreyansh Bafna, who works in his family business in Bhilai, has gotten hooked on to international music acts that come to India. “We have our group of friends waiting there in Bangalore. And I think that it will be fultoo fun to watch him perform live. I had gone to Pune for the David Guetta concert held in March, and since then, I am crazy about international stars coming anywhere in India,” he told us.
And it’s not just the ‘grown-ups’ who are planning the musical getaway. School students too, are heading out in equal numbers. Atul Rai, a class X student of DPS Bhilai, and a self confessed “Enrique-crazy” fan, was looking forward to getting clicked with his singing idol. “I have been following Enrique for the last two years, and Tonight I Am Loving You is definitely a song that I would love to hear live. I love getting clicked with celebrities. I recently accompanied Honey Singh on a car ride, and then got clicked with Rannvijay of MTV Roadies. Now, I am longing to get a picture clicked with Enrigue,” he said.
Arnav Jham, 18, a class XII student at DPS Bhilai, was equally enthusiastic. “I love being at international-scale events, whether it’s a Formula 1 race, or an international star coming. I definitely have to be a part of it all. I had booked my tickets for Enrique’s concert pretty much in advance, and I am really excited to be a part of it and hear songs such as Yet Another Fan, Somebody’s Me, Dirty Dancer, and my favourite, Everything’s Gonna Be All Right, which keeps on inspiring me.”
Vaibhav Agrawal, who also studies in class XII in DPS Bhilai, said, “I can’t wait to be at the show. In fact, even though all the youngsters going from Bhilai might not be going together, we have made sure that our seats are next to each other. Even though the tickets of the concert cost `2500 for the platinum category, where we are seated, it is totally worth it.” Vaibhav had also been to David Guetta’s concert in Mumbai, and was keenly waiting for the Honey Singh concert to happen, which was later cancelled.
However, there are those who would have loved to go, but their studies come first. Siya, medical student in Raipur and a diehard Enrique fan, will not be able to attend the concert because of her exams. “I would definitely have been a part of the concert, if my exams weren’t happening right now. But I wish all the best to the singer and the fans there. I will miss him,” she said.