Over the next few months, pop and rock lovers are in for multiple treats by international acts, with Canadian star Bryan Adams, British group Coldplay, and singers Dua Lipa and Akon lined up. There are the big festivals too, with Bandland in Bengaluru on November 23 and 24, and Lollapalooza India in Mumbai on March 8 and 9 next year. Organised by BookMyShow, both festivals are vastly different, though they feature a good mix of international and Indian performers.
Bandland is entirely a rock festival, and Lollapalooza cuts across genres, from rock and pop to desi rap and Indian indie acts. The line-ups have been announced, and reactions on the social media and WhatsApp groups have been divergent. After all, British hard rock pioneers Deep Purple played at Bandland last year, and superstar Sting rounded off the last Lollapalooza.
They were in another league. The headlining acts this year are both American acts formed in the 1980s. While hard rock group Extreme is slotted for Bandland, punk-rock stars Green Day will grace Lollapalooza.
Both bands have had their glory days, and a couple of iconic albums. And though they have been touring actively, their newer releases have received lesser attention. Some rock fans feel they are coming down a couple of decades late.
Let’s trace their track record. Extreme is known to mix energetic rock numbers with soulful power ballads. In fact, its most successful song More Than Words, from the 1990 album Pornograffitti, is an acoustic guitar.