US leg of ‘Klose to My Soul’ kicks off in DC area.
By The American Bazaar Staff
FAIRFAX, VA: Indian singer Sonu Nigam kicked off the US leg of his “Klose to My Soul” tour before a crowd of more than 5,000 that packed the Patriot Center here on Friday night.
Singing along with Indo-Canadian singer Jonita Gandhi, Nigam enthralled the audience for more than three hours with dozens of Bollywood hit songs from the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, as well as many of his own popular hits. He was accompanied by one of the largest live orchestras from India to tour this country, featuring nearly three-dozen members, and 10 dancers.
In Washington, the concert was promoted by Manish Sood of Intense Entertainment. The national promoters of the tour are Rakesh “Rocky” Kaushal and Darshan Mehta of Shri Balaji Entertainment.
The current tour is a sequel to the singer’s 2012 tour, “Klose to My Heart.” It was the huge success of that tour that inspired to plan the current series, along with Kaushal—with whom Nigam has been associated for two decades—the singer told the Patriot Center audience, which was one of the largest crowds that came to see a Bollywood performer in Washington, DC.
The concert, besides a mix of new and old songs, contained plenty of characteristic Nigam improvisations. The second half began on a poignant note with the singer paying homage to his mother, with the song Kya hua tera vada, originally sung by Mohammed Rafi in the 1977 film Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin. Shobha Nigam, who witnessed Sonu sing the song in his stage debut in 1977 as a four-year old, passed away in February 2013.
Tributes were also paid to Manna Dey, another huge influence in Nigam’s life, with the song Poocho Na Kaise Maine.
The 17-city, 37-day tour began in the Caribbean, where Nigam performed in Trinidad on May 3 and Guyana the next day. On Saturday, he performed in New Jersey. Other cities that are part of the tour include Chicago (May 16), New York (May17), Atlanta (May 18), Vancouver (May 24), San Jose (May 25), Seattle (May 30), Los Angeles (May 31) and Detroit (June 7). It concludes in Montreal on June 7.
“Klose to My Soul” is sponsored by India.com and YuppTV.