A hint of nostalgia, a dash of soul and an evening coloured with music, that’s how Mumbai wrapped up its Saturday night as the Danish pop band, Michael Learns To Rock, took over the stage at the MMRDA ground in the city. Members Jascha Richter, Mikkel Lentz and Kåre Wanscher, shaped the world of music in the ’90s, but they were greeted with a new generation of fans as they performed in Mumbai.
The soulful night began on a high as the band performed their hit track Someday. Straightaway, the audience slipped into a musical state of mind that took them on a trip down memory lane. Singing each and every word of their songs with them, the crowd left even the band amused. Actors Triptii Dimri, Jacqueline Fernandez and renowned journalist Raja Sen also came to enjoy the musical night.
Early on in the set, the band made it clear the deep impact the country has had on them, as they said, “We have a very long history here and we would love to come back.” The band went on to perform some more of their classics, including Sleeping Child, Complicated Heart, Blue Night, 25 Minutes and Nothing to Lose, among others.
Between songs, the band expressed their fondness for the crowd present, sharing stories behind their music. “It’s a very important song because it marked a lot of firsts. The first we recorded and released,” Richter said right before they broke into their debut track from their career, I Still Carry On. They also shared how a music label that was to relaunch them globally was shut down out of the blue, but the music movement in India and other countries still protected them from going under.
The band members gave a very personal touch to their performance as they came up to the front of stage to perform. “We will sit in front of the stage and sing, just like how we used to do in our rehearsal rooms,” Jascha said, and the band went on to perform I’m Gonna Be Around for the crowd.
The musical evening continued with Love Will Never Lie, You Took My Heart Away, before Lentz took a dig at their band’s name by calling it “one of the stupidest band names of all time”. “We are still trying to figure out what it means,” he quipped, and then mesmerised the crowd with Wild Women, Breaking My Heart and then finally bidding goodbye with Paint My Love, saying “It’s been a long journey and we’re so happy you have been with us.”
But it wasn’t the end as after their exit, the audience broke into their songs, singing loudly at the top of their lungs, persuading the band members to return to the stage and perform two more tracks, Take Me To Your Heart and That’s Why (You Go Away) before bidding their final farewell, with a promise to return.
Michael Learns To Rock performed in Bengaluru on February 19 before coming to Mumbai, and they wrap up the India leg of their Take Us To Your Heart Tour, curated and produced by Fever Live, today in Delhi.
