Bored parents, weed and getting ‘groped’: A random concert in Dhaka

‘Why do people go to concerts?’ is a question I have asked myself many times.

Standing for hours in a cramped space amongst hundreds if not thousands of strangers to listen to live renditions of songs which sound much better on headphones anyways, does not seem like an exciting proposition and is definitely not my definition of a ‘fun night out’.

Still, on 6 July I decided against my better judgment and went to the International Convention City Bashundhara to attend the first concert of my life. Why?

I decided that it’s important to open oneself to new experiences as new experiences lead to growth and growth leads to maturity and maturity leads to contentment. Also, I kind of wanted to see Anupam Roy perform in person. Unfortunately, none of my mates shared my love for Anupam’s song. So I had to go to the concert by myself.

I realise that going to a concert by oneself is not that common. The raised eyebrows of the people who I told about my solo trip to the concert reaffirmed this notion.

But growing up as the ‘weird quiet kid’, I’m used to doing things by myself. And truth be told, I even enjoy it. For example, I love going to the movies by myself as I can enjoy what’s happening on screen without having to answer questions like, ‘What happened there, what did that guy say, what should we get at the interval break, chicken pops or chicken nuggets?’.

So on d-day, I hopped on a bus which proved the Google Maps estimation wrong and arrived at the destination 48 minutes later than the apps’ projection. But no harm was done because as an experienced Dhakaite, I left my home two-and-a-half hours before the concert and arrived at the venue with time to spare.

When I entered the concert premises, the place was already packed with teenagers, university-goers, couples and young professionals, as I had expected. What I hadn’t expected, however, was to see quite a few middle-aged people roaming around.

“I guess Anupam and Arnab are popular in the 40-year-plus age bracket!” I thought.

But after noticing the disinterested looks on their faces and the group of teenage girls around them, I realised my mistake. They were not here as fans but as chaperones of their teenage daughters and friends.

I averted my attention from overexcited teenagers and disinterested parents and decided it was time to enter the building. The concert was about to start.

I stood in a line, went through a metal detector and then got ‘groped’ by a man!

No, a random guy didn’t just walk up to me and touch me inappropriately, it was a security guard. He asked if I was carrying cigarettes or other such substances, to which I truthfully answered no. But I don’t think he was convinced by my answer as then he proceeded to begin a very thorough pat down.

The last time I was touched this ‘intimately’, was during a medical test after applying for the Bangladesh Army. That time, I had to pull my pants down and get ‘groped’ by a middle-aged man in front of another middle-aged man. This time, at least, I got to keep my pants on.

But their extensive security search, which bordered on harassment, ended up proving to be completely useless. More on that a bit later.

The concert had a solid line-up – Hatirpool Sessions, Meghdol, Taalpatar Shepai, Arnab and Anupam Roy.

First came the Hatirpool Sessions, a band I’m not too familiar with. Their performance was decent. Then came Meghdol, who got more time on stage than all the other performers. I was pleasantly surprised by their presentation, the stand-out song for me being ‘E Hawa’.

Kolkata-based duo ‘Taalpatar Shepai’ were next on stage and their performance was short but sweet.

I had expected Arnob to be the next performer followed by the main attraction of the evening, Anupam. However, the organisers swerved me and everyone else as they announced that Anupam was set to perform next.

By this time, I was somewhere in the middle of the crowd. But after it was announced that Anupam was next, a group of boys from the back started pushing and shoving to get forward. I happened to be on their path and somehow got dragged with them to a position closer to the stage.

My first thought was I should probably thank them. From my new position, I’ll be able to see who is performing without having to squint my eyes. But as Anupam got on stage to a thunderous ovation, my nostrils were met with a stench I’d become all too familiar with.

It was marijuana.

This would not be too much of an issue for most. But for me, a non-smoker who hates the smell of cigarettes and all similar substances, this was torturous. I tried to get away from them, but at that point, it wasn’t possible. The area was too cramped and there was no space to move.

So for the next 30 minutes or so, I used a piece of advertising cardboard I was handed while entering the concert as a makeshift fan to fan the smoke away from me. But I eventually realised that the fanning was pointless as more people started lighting up joints around me and the smoke was inescapable.

After Anupam left the stage, I stepped away from the crowd feeling an unfamiliar buzz in my head. “So, this is what contact high feels like then,” I thought to myself.

I stuck around a little longer to see Arnob perform. But my knees were hurting from standing for hours and the unfamiliar buzz was also not helping the case. So, I decided to make a slightly early exit.

Although the night was far from perfect, I’m glad I had that experience. But will I be going to another concert any time soon? The answer lies in the outro in Anupam Roy’s most popular song ‘Amake amar moto thakte dao’,

‘Naaaa, na na na naaa na; na na na naaaaaaa….’