Organizing Concerts Abroad

After the flow of Nepalese youths started getting scattered - from Sydney to London, from Bangalore to Texas, the trend of organizing concerts in those places started turning out a business opportunity and a further exposure. Be it Nepathaya, or 1974 AD, they always have huge bunch of fan in those places; who grew up with their music and composition.

An excuse to gather up, talk about past memories that the songs would bring, and remember back home - Nepalese concerts abroad had always been appreciated, and will be appreciated till these diasporas keep loving Nepali Music.

1974 AD's former band member - Adrian Pradhan and Phiroj Syangden, performed 'Original Duo' in different regions of Austrlia last month. From Darwin, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne to Sydney they performed not allowing the diasporas of Australia miss 1974 AD. The number of crowd was appreciable. Organizers claimed satisfactory outcome of the concert and then. Back in 2017, Nepathaya toured different regions of Australia from Sydney, Melbourne to Adelaide. Not just Australia, these bands have been performing in different regions of America like Dallas, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York, and San Francisco since 2004 itself. Be it London, or Bangalore, Qatar or Canada, Nepalese celebrities have been obtaining next opportunity there.

Lady Gaga had explained music as one of the most powerful thing in the world which would unite us ignoring race, religion, nationality, gender or sexual orientation.

Organizing concerts therefore abroad ensures social bonding with the place that they decided to leave - be it permanently or for temporary purpose. It is the best way to glorify Nepalese music among the Diasporas there, and keep the Nepali music alive. Because, the generation followed by them might not get equally interested in Nepali music. Organizing timely concerts will let the generations of those diasporas realize the existence of Nepali music, Nepali culture to large extent. 

Meanwhile, concerts abroad are the best way to communicate with Nepalese mass residing there. Every time, Amrit Gurung gets abroad, he conveys the message - be that through emotions, pictures, slides, songs, or speech - letting them know what Nepal is going through. Asking for moral support, he ends up the concert. So, there is landslide happening in Nepal; he lets the audiences there know. And, if Nepathaya performs with images in the background, it will make you weep.

There obviously exists trouble in handling political, economical, socio cultural and technological hindrances in organizing concerts abroad, finale of Nepal Idol can be traced for example. However, the fact that possibility of unlimited opportunities lies on the other side of coin too. Tom Petty had correctly said that music is the only real magic which does not involve trick, rather it is pure and real, which moves and heals communicating and doing all incredible things.

Organizing concert should not be entirely profit motive for the organizers. Leaving the site filled with garbage and wastage had been prime news time and again abroad - be that in Tokyo or Sydney. Organizers along with audiences needs to prove their identity at those time. Artists needs to bear responsibility in the mean time. They need to realize that they are not there simply to perform, but to connect - Nepal with them. These artists had always remained the idol, and that is the reason, why the audiences pay to hear them live. Artists are assets of any nation, who had responsibility towards the nation in their own way. They need to explain the situation of their family back in Nepal, expectations from them. They need to remind how their parents struggled to grow them up too. And hence, they need to feel the responsibility and convey the message from Nepal, that they are intending to hear, that would inspire them.

We do live in the age of globalization, but not unless these youths dedicate back to nation, nation would progress. They can decide the place to live in, but it is important that they need to bear responsibility. Hence, it is essential that they convey how they can give back to Nepal and make them feel their responsibility. Who wouldn't miss Dashain and Tihar there? And, exploiting their emotions for profit simply is not any long term vision. Connectivity should be equally prioritized.

It is just the Y-Generation who had been growing up with the legendry music of Nepal. Z-Generation never had that huge thirst of music. And it is the same Y-Generation, who is abroad now, eagerly waiting for Nepali thirst. The generation later might not be this interested in Nepali concerts thereby. It is therefore important that social responsibility would be realized by the concerned ones. Bob Marley correctly stated - One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain. So, let these concerts abroad be an opportunity to hit the concerned without any pain.

Published in The Rising Nepal's Friday Supplement of August 24, 2018.