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The Unforgettable Tour Diaries
The much hyped 'The Unforgettable Tour' is currently on and we at Bollywood Hungama would be giving a day by day account of all the fun and happenings.
So join the all the stars and audience and be a part of the biggest ever show which features the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Preity Zinta, Vishal and Shekhar. Of course, there are guest appearances (Akshay Kumar, Madhuri Dixit, Shilpa Shetty) galore too that add spice to the proceedings.
Here we give an account of all the hype and hoopla which followed the moment all the stars landed in Toronto, the first city where they were slated to perform in this worldwide tour.
- At the Toronto airport itself, there were dozens of fans who waited patiently for the stars to descend from the airport lobby. As expected, it was a hysterical response with crowd greeting the performers with hysterical cheering!
- Amitabh Bachchan wasn't upset but highly amused with British Airways. Reason? They had misplaced close to a dozen suitcases belonging to the Bachchan family. Apart from regular stuff, the suitcases also contained the costumes which Bachchans were required to be wearing during press conferences as well as the shows. While Big B did quip that his informal attire in the press conference was courtesy British Airways, many were left wondering whether he would also go ahead and sue the airlines.
- Press conference itself was a grand affair because regardless of the event being outside Mumbai, close to 400 odd media people were present in full strength while bombarding the group with questions. Arrangements were impeccable as each of the stars was seated on exclusive sofa sets with media going around the hall and given an opportunity to interact with each of them on an exclusive basis. Neat!
- Security provided to the stars was world class with each of them enjoying a personal security guard for company at every move. Powered by walkie-talkies and all the associated gadgets, these guards were themselves pretty cued about the people for whom they were responsible for the security and couldn't help smiling away with the big moment they found themselves in!
- Gifted with a VVIP treatment, the stars have a Limo to their disposal. Not just that; the drive across different venues is 'pucca filmy' with the Limos being protected at both ends by a couple of bikes each which make sure that the road ahead is kept clear! Kya style hai!
- Big B also ensured that no one from the technical team ever get hassled by any stray incidence. When there was some problem with some equipments, resulting in an engineer getting harassed, he comforted him and made sure that he tried rectifying the problem with a cooler head. From someone who has seen the industry and been a part of countless shows for decades, Amitabh Bachchan was chilled out and didn't let any minor mishap hamper the spirit of the team.
- Last one heard, Amitabh Bachchan continued his reputation of being a trail blazer when it came to preparations before the show! Hours after landing in the city and a brief rest later, he was there in the rehearsal hall and pepped up everyone else to come up with their best. He rehearsed non-stop with everyone else and didn't show any signs of fatigue whatsoever! No wonder, the youngsters were left wondering about the spirit and never-say-die spirit of the man who is well into his 60s!
- Vishal and Shekhar were left amazed when they visited the stadium to have a dekko at the arrangements before the show. Grandeur was simply surreal as they realized that the stage set there was as tall as 5 stories! The venue (Rogers Centre) has a capacity to accommodate more than 15000 patrons and was already sold out before the kick start of the show!
Day 2 - Bachchans play calypso beats in Trinidad
From Toronto, the magic moved on to Trinidad where eager fans were waiting to catch a glimpse of the Bachchan family. Incidentally, Amitabh Bachchan isn't entirely unfamiliar with the place since he had visited Trinidad a couple of decades back.
- Even as the 'Unforgettable' team was packing bags from Toronto, news reached that Trinidad was a sell out already. However, while pre-event celebrations were on, there was some 'gham' in store as the flight was delayed from Toronto to Miami; the stopover for Trinidad. As the team cooled its heels for a good 3-4 hours, all it did was crash on bed once the entourage reached Trinidad after a cumulative 14 hours of exhausting traveling.
- While 'dead tired' was the best way to describe the state of stars (well, even stars have their off-moments), sparkles came in the form of countless fans who were patiently waiting at the airport and even the hotel lobby. Not quite surprising even as the stars set their feet on ground well into mid night.
- As is a known fact, a good part of Trinidadian population belongs to Indian origin. However, not many know how to speak Hindi. Even then, when it came to popular Bollywood songs, they could well be heard reciting them. Not just that, on reception, to everyone's pleasant surprise, there were two huge plasma screens playing popular Hindi songs.
- While it was hardly a surprise to see Amitabh Bachchan being a known name in Trinidad, what brought a smile on Abhishek Bachchan's face was to see huge hoardings of him endorsing Motorola cell phones. Last one heard, he was grinning from ear to ear with his global popularity.
- Shock shock! Just when it seemed that everything was going just perfect, news reached that a couple of key people from the core technical team were stuck in Puerto Rico, an alternate stopover for those who were not coming through Miami. It became a little hectic for the organizers as they made frantic arrangements for the engineers to be brought down from Puerto Rico to Trinidad through a chartered flight.
- Even in the face of adversities, Vishal urged organizers not to worry and assured them that things would fall in place in spite of technical glitches. With 15 years experience of live performances behind him, he believed that whenever there was a bigger 'panga', an event always turned out to be even more outstanding
- Hours before the lights went on for the show, audiences were witnessed standing in long queues while waiting impatiently for the gates to open for Queens Park Oval, a cricket stadium in Trinidad.
- From a packed audience in Toronto to a 12000 strong crowd in Trinidad, it was an unbelievable experience for everyone involved. The sets and lighting may not necessarily be equated to the ones witnessed in Toronto but the atmosphere was simply eclectic. No wonder, the moment show kicked off, it was hysteria all over.
- Abhishek Bachchan and Riteish Deshmukh were in their elements all over again as they got together into the 'Bluffmaster' act for the umpteenth time. However, no one seemed to be minding that at all as mad frenzy overpowered everyone and everything else which was happening all over.
- What surprised Vishal and Shekhar was the impromptu jam that Abhishek and Riteish got themselves into even as the composers were aiming to do something different with a Gujarati song in play. Abhishek took the mike away from them and got into his own act which got the house down. A folk number with a fusion feel to it, it turned out to be one performance worth to be remembered as the audience were seen jumping on their chairs.
- The moment Amitabh Bachchan decided to take charge, there wasn't anything audible at all for full two minutes! Big B had been to the place before in the 80s and hence the connection was pretty much apparent. Confessing that Trinidad was like a home town for him, he amazed everyone with a calypso jam. Highlight of the event was Mr. Bachchan - the composer - as he took charge of instructing the men behind guitar, keyboard and other key instruments. Result was a calypso jam which reminded audience of 'Jumma Chumma' [Hum].
- Talking of 'Jumma Chumma', in a well laid out tribute sequence to the Big B, along with Abhishek and Ash, Ritiesh and Preity too joined the fun and did their own jig on the superhit chartbuster from the 90s. Apart from 'Jumma Chumma', the song which took the cake was 'Saara Zamaana' [Yaarana] which had Amitabh Bachchan arriving in ever-so-famous bulb costume. Soon he was joined by all other youngsters as well with the best part about the performance being each of them wearing similar costumes. The lights truly shone in Trinidad that evening!
- Grand finale came in the form of 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' sequence which involved 'naach gaana' from all the stars including Vishal and Shekhar. Between them, they captured all ends of the stage and started jumping around throughout its length and breadth to cover as much audience amongst themselves as possible.
From here, 'The Unforgettable Tour' moves to LA. Since the show is scheduled for 26th July, it gives a 3 days break for everyone to chill out!
So join the all the stars and audience and be a part of the biggest ever show which features the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Preity Zinta, Vishal and Shekhar. Of course, there are guest appearances (Akshay Kumar, Madhuri Dixit, Shilpa Shetty) galore too that add spice to the proceedings.
Here we give an account of all the hype and hoopla which followed the moment all the stars landed in Toronto, the first city where they were slated to perform in this worldwide tour.
- At the Toronto airport itself, there were dozens of fans who waited patiently for the stars to descend from the airport lobby. As expected, it was a hysterical response with crowd greeting the performers with hysterical cheering!
- Amitabh Bachchan wasn't upset but highly amused with British Airways. Reason? They had misplaced close to a dozen suitcases belonging to the Bachchan family. Apart from regular stuff, the suitcases also contained the costumes which Bachchans were required to be wearing during press conferences as well as the shows. While Big B did quip that his informal attire in the press conference was courtesy British Airways, many were left wondering whether he would also go ahead and sue the airlines.
- Press conference itself was a grand affair because regardless of the event being outside Mumbai, close to 400 odd media people were present in full strength while bombarding the group with questions. Arrangements were impeccable as each of the stars was seated on exclusive sofa sets with media going around the hall and given an opportunity to interact with each of them on an exclusive basis. Neat!
- Security provided to the stars was world class with each of them enjoying a personal security guard for company at every move. Powered by walkie-talkies and all the associated gadgets, these guards were themselves pretty cued about the people for whom they were responsible for the security and couldn't help smiling away with the big moment they found themselves in!
- Gifted with a VVIP treatment, the stars have a Limo to their disposal. Not just that; the drive across different venues is 'pucca filmy' with the Limos being protected at both ends by a couple of bikes each which make sure that the road ahead is kept clear! Kya style hai!
- Big B also ensured that no one from the technical team ever get hassled by any stray incidence. When there was some problem with some equipments, resulting in an engineer getting harassed, he comforted him and made sure that he tried rectifying the problem with a cooler head. From someone who has seen the industry and been a part of countless shows for decades, Amitabh Bachchan was chilled out and didn't let any minor mishap hamper the spirit of the team.
- Last one heard, Amitabh Bachchan continued his reputation of being a trail blazer when it came to preparations before the show! Hours after landing in the city and a brief rest later, he was there in the rehearsal hall and pepped up everyone else to come up with their best. He rehearsed non-stop with everyone else and didn't show any signs of fatigue whatsoever! No wonder, the youngsters were left wondering about the spirit and never-say-die spirit of the man who is well into his 60s!
- Vishal and Shekhar were left amazed when they visited the stadium to have a dekko at the arrangements before the show. Grandeur was simply surreal as they realized that the stage set there was as tall as 5 stories! The venue (Rogers Centre) has a capacity to accommodate more than 15000 patrons and was already sold out before the kick start of the show!
Day 1 - The Day when Toronto Rocked
As promised, at Bollywood Hungama, we continue our coverage on Unforgettable, the biggest ever tour which features the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Preity Zinta, Vishal and Shekhar. In the first show at Toronto which also saw Akshay Kumar getting the house down with antics, the response was exhilarating which only paves the way for days to follow. Read on to know the highlights of the big day!
- Before the show began and the stars descended on stage, Amitabh Bachchan got all the lead performers together for a prayer. It wasn't aimed at wishing something from God; instead it was a get-together where Big B took a resolve from all to go all out and entertain the audience. He said, "We are here to entertain everyone and it is our responsibility that all who come here go home happy. Let's give our best and make sure that we as well as audience have a great time out there!" No wonder, it touched the hearts of all the youngsters!
- Rogers Center, venue for the show at Toronto, was jam packed with 10000 people even before first of the stars arrived on stage. No wonder, by the time the event had reached its peak, organizers had to make space for close to 5000 more!
- A renowned local band kick started the event and warmed up the audience with their performance. No one was complaining though since it was only acting as a good enough appetizer for the main course to follow. There were cheers all around and though thousands out there were getting impatient and restless to have a dekko at the stars, it was only adding on to the euphoric mood at Toronto.
- The wait was finally over with Riteish Deshmukh arriving first on stage. Amidst all the fireworks and magnificent lights, he simply banged the stage out there and took the crowd along with him with his performance on the title song from Cash! This was followed by a few more songs which included the chartbuster track 'Ae Chori' [Cash] and eventually ended with the super hit song from Heyy Babyy. Crowd loved what Riteish did and if the kind of reception that the young actor received was any indication, there was clearly a lot more in store from the event to follow!
- It was quite stupendous in the manner Abhishek Bachchan announced his arrival. Emerging from the middle of the crowd with spotlights following his ascent to the stage, it was an ear-shattering response with Junior Bachchan marking his arrival with the song 'Dhadak Dhadak' [Bunty Aur Babli]. Even as he performed solo for this song where he only had background dancers for company, he didn't mind it all as he occupied the stage at all corners.
- Aishwarya Rai did what she is best at. She turned the crowds crazy with her 'Krazzy Kiya Re' act followed by her portion of 'Dhoom Again', the title track from Dhoom 2. 'Dil Lagana' and a few other songs followed too and by the time she was through with her performance, the word of mouth had spread amongst the crowds that this would indeed be one 'unforgettable' tour!
- To give audience some respite from all the heat being generated, the organizers also wisely incorporated a small 3 minute segment on the evil of global warming. Mixing message with entertainment, the event made sure that it carried a lot more depth to it than being simply frivolous.
- As the event started peaking up, crowds were swelling by hundreds. Barricades were being broken and so high was the crowd on energy that security urged stars to request audience to remain patient and just enjoy the show!
- Composer duo of Vishal and Shekhar saw a huge entry to their name with a huge screen displaying a film on their work. The moment the men behind Om Shanti Om and recent blockbuster Bachna Ae Haseeno arrived on stage, pyrotechnics were in full force as a deafening sound preceded the band which played numbers like 'Aankhon Mein Teri', 'Dard De Disco' and 'Deewangee'. It was a maddening crowd out there as Vishal-Shekhar continued to enthrall the audience with one chartbuster after another, especially the most recent one being the title track from Bachna Ae Haseeno. Post this; they left the stage for Amitabh Bachchan to make his much awaited entry.
- Big B's mere presence on stage made all the difference as the reception he got from the crowds was unprecedented. He didn't come up with anything flashy or dramatic; he merely walked the stage and acknowledged the crowds, all of which resulted in a frenzy. A near 15000 crowd was unstoppable from this point on as Big B began LIVE singing of yesteryear songs like 'Jahan Teri Yeh Nazar' [Kaalia], 'Dekha Naa' [Bombay To Goa], title track [Don] and 'Rang Barse' [Silsila]. Last heard, Vishal-Shekhar are looking at incorporating two more songs - 'Mere Angne Mein' and 'Iir Beer Phatte' - in the Trinidad show!
- Akshay Kumar was supposed to be making the much awaited 'special appearance' into the show and he didn't disappoint thousands who had gathered to catch a glimpse of the superstar. Powerful as ever on stage, he performed to the Snoop Dogg version of the title track from Singh Is Kinng. This time around he also had RDB for company and together they made sure that the thump wasn't missing for a single moment while Akshay occupied the stage.
- Highlight of the show was a cheeky number that Akshay played on an unsuspecting girl! He picked her from the audience, asked for permission from her grandma, proceeded to take her to a large red bed (on stage of course) and sung 'Bheege Honth Tere' [Murder]. Not just that, he also (hold your breath) gifted her some exclusive lingerie and a pair of high heels!
No wonder, the city of Toronto is still smiling!
__________________As promised, at Bollywood Hungama, we continue our coverage on Unforgettable, the biggest ever tour which features the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Preity Zinta, Vishal and Shekhar. In the first show at Toronto which also saw Akshay Kumar getting the house down with antics, the response was exhilarating which only paves the way for days to follow. Read on to know the highlights of the big day!
- Before the show began and the stars descended on stage, Amitabh Bachchan got all the lead performers together for a prayer. It wasn't aimed at wishing something from God; instead it was a get-together where Big B took a resolve from all to go all out and entertain the audience. He said, "We are here to entertain everyone and it is our responsibility that all who come here go home happy. Let's give our best and make sure that we as well as audience have a great time out there!" No wonder, it touched the hearts of all the youngsters!
- Rogers Center, venue for the show at Toronto, was jam packed with 10000 people even before first of the stars arrived on stage. No wonder, by the time the event had reached its peak, organizers had to make space for close to 5000 more!
- A renowned local band kick started the event and warmed up the audience with their performance. No one was complaining though since it was only acting as a good enough appetizer for the main course to follow. There were cheers all around and though thousands out there were getting impatient and restless to have a dekko at the stars, it was only adding on to the euphoric mood at Toronto.
- The wait was finally over with Riteish Deshmukh arriving first on stage. Amidst all the fireworks and magnificent lights, he simply banged the stage out there and took the crowd along with him with his performance on the title song from Cash! This was followed by a few more songs which included the chartbuster track 'Ae Chori' [Cash] and eventually ended with the super hit song from Heyy Babyy. Crowd loved what Riteish did and if the kind of reception that the young actor received was any indication, there was clearly a lot more in store from the event to follow!
- It was quite stupendous in the manner Abhishek Bachchan announced his arrival. Emerging from the middle of the crowd with spotlights following his ascent to the stage, it was an ear-shattering response with Junior Bachchan marking his arrival with the song 'Dhadak Dhadak' [Bunty Aur Babli]. Even as he performed solo for this song where he only had background dancers for company, he didn't mind it all as he occupied the stage at all corners.
- Aishwarya Rai did what she is best at. She turned the crowds crazy with her 'Krazzy Kiya Re' act followed by her portion of 'Dhoom Again', the title track from Dhoom 2. 'Dil Lagana' and a few other songs followed too and by the time she was through with her performance, the word of mouth had spread amongst the crowds that this would indeed be one 'unforgettable' tour!
- To give audience some respite from all the heat being generated, the organizers also wisely incorporated a small 3 minute segment on the evil of global warming. Mixing message with entertainment, the event made sure that it carried a lot more depth to it than being simply frivolous.
- As the event started peaking up, crowds were swelling by hundreds. Barricades were being broken and so high was the crowd on energy that security urged stars to request audience to remain patient and just enjoy the show!
- Composer duo of Vishal and Shekhar saw a huge entry to their name with a huge screen displaying a film on their work. The moment the men behind Om Shanti Om and recent blockbuster Bachna Ae Haseeno arrived on stage, pyrotechnics were in full force as a deafening sound preceded the band which played numbers like 'Aankhon Mein Teri', 'Dard De Disco' and 'Deewangee'. It was a maddening crowd out there as Vishal-Shekhar continued to enthrall the audience with one chartbuster after another, especially the most recent one being the title track from Bachna Ae Haseeno. Post this; they left the stage for Amitabh Bachchan to make his much awaited entry.
- Big B's mere presence on stage made all the difference as the reception he got from the crowds was unprecedented. He didn't come up with anything flashy or dramatic; he merely walked the stage and acknowledged the crowds, all of which resulted in a frenzy. A near 15000 crowd was unstoppable from this point on as Big B began LIVE singing of yesteryear songs like 'Jahan Teri Yeh Nazar' [Kaalia], 'Dekha Naa' [Bombay To Goa], title track [Don] and 'Rang Barse' [Silsila]. Last heard, Vishal-Shekhar are looking at incorporating two more songs - 'Mere Angne Mein' and 'Iir Beer Phatte' - in the Trinidad show!
- Akshay Kumar was supposed to be making the much awaited 'special appearance' into the show and he didn't disappoint thousands who had gathered to catch a glimpse of the superstar. Powerful as ever on stage, he performed to the Snoop Dogg version of the title track from Singh Is Kinng. This time around he also had RDB for company and together they made sure that the thump wasn't missing for a single moment while Akshay occupied the stage.
- Highlight of the show was a cheeky number that Akshay played on an unsuspecting girl! He picked her from the audience, asked for permission from her grandma, proceeded to take her to a large red bed (on stage of course) and sung 'Bheege Honth Tere' [Murder]. Not just that, he also (hold your breath) gifted her some exclusive lingerie and a pair of high heels!
No wonder, the city of Toronto is still smiling!
Day 2 - Bachchans play calypso beats in Trinidad
From Toronto, the magic moved on to Trinidad where eager fans were waiting to catch a glimpse of the Bachchan family. Incidentally, Amitabh Bachchan isn't entirely unfamiliar with the place since he had visited Trinidad a couple of decades back.
- Even as the 'Unforgettable' team was packing bags from Toronto, news reached that Trinidad was a sell out already. However, while pre-event celebrations were on, there was some 'gham' in store as the flight was delayed from Toronto to Miami; the stopover for Trinidad. As the team cooled its heels for a good 3-4 hours, all it did was crash on bed once the entourage reached Trinidad after a cumulative 14 hours of exhausting traveling.
- While 'dead tired' was the best way to describe the state of stars (well, even stars have their off-moments), sparkles came in the form of countless fans who were patiently waiting at the airport and even the hotel lobby. Not quite surprising even as the stars set their feet on ground well into mid night.
- As is a known fact, a good part of Trinidadian population belongs to Indian origin. However, not many know how to speak Hindi. Even then, when it came to popular Bollywood songs, they could well be heard reciting them. Not just that, on reception, to everyone's pleasant surprise, there were two huge plasma screens playing popular Hindi songs.
- While it was hardly a surprise to see Amitabh Bachchan being a known name in Trinidad, what brought a smile on Abhishek Bachchan's face was to see huge hoardings of him endorsing Motorola cell phones. Last one heard, he was grinning from ear to ear with his global popularity.
- Shock shock! Just when it seemed that everything was going just perfect, news reached that a couple of key people from the core technical team were stuck in Puerto Rico, an alternate stopover for those who were not coming through Miami. It became a little hectic for the organizers as they made frantic arrangements for the engineers to be brought down from Puerto Rico to Trinidad through a chartered flight.
- Even in the face of adversities, Vishal urged organizers not to worry and assured them that things would fall in place in spite of technical glitches. With 15 years experience of live performances behind him, he believed that whenever there was a bigger 'panga', an event always turned out to be even more outstanding
- Hours before the lights went on for the show, audiences were witnessed standing in long queues while waiting impatiently for the gates to open for Queens Park Oval, a cricket stadium in Trinidad.
- From a packed audience in Toronto to a 12000 strong crowd in Trinidad, it was an unbelievable experience for everyone involved. The sets and lighting may not necessarily be equated to the ones witnessed in Toronto but the atmosphere was simply eclectic. No wonder, the moment show kicked off, it was hysteria all over.
- Abhishek Bachchan and Riteish Deshmukh were in their elements all over again as they got together into the 'Bluffmaster' act for the umpteenth time. However, no one seemed to be minding that at all as mad frenzy overpowered everyone and everything else which was happening all over.
- What surprised Vishal and Shekhar was the impromptu jam that Abhishek and Riteish got themselves into even as the composers were aiming to do something different with a Gujarati song in play. Abhishek took the mike away from them and got into his own act which got the house down. A folk number with a fusion feel to it, it turned out to be one performance worth to be remembered as the audience were seen jumping on their chairs.
- The moment Amitabh Bachchan decided to take charge, there wasn't anything audible at all for full two minutes! Big B had been to the place before in the 80s and hence the connection was pretty much apparent. Confessing that Trinidad was like a home town for him, he amazed everyone with a calypso jam. Highlight of the event was Mr. Bachchan - the composer - as he took charge of instructing the men behind guitar, keyboard and other key instruments. Result was a calypso jam which reminded audience of 'Jumma Chumma' [Hum].
- Talking of 'Jumma Chumma', in a well laid out tribute sequence to the Big B, along with Abhishek and Ash, Ritiesh and Preity too joined the fun and did their own jig on the superhit chartbuster from the 90s. Apart from 'Jumma Chumma', the song which took the cake was 'Saara Zamaana' [Yaarana] which had Amitabh Bachchan arriving in ever-so-famous bulb costume. Soon he was joined by all other youngsters as well with the best part about the performance being each of them wearing similar costumes. The lights truly shone in Trinidad that evening!
- Grand finale came in the form of 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' sequence which involved 'naach gaana' from all the stars including Vishal and Shekhar. Between them, they captured all ends of the stage and started jumping around throughout its length and breadth to cover as much audience amongst themselves as possible.
From here, 'The Unforgettable Tour' moves to LA. Since the show is scheduled for 26th July, it gives a 3 days break for everyone to chill out!
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