At Shillong’s Cherry Blossom festival, Ronan Keating, Sanam and Lou Majaw charm crowds

The Cherry Blossom festival tapped into nostalgia as Irish singer and heart-throb Ronan Keating and seasoned musicians Lou Majaw and Ne-Yo serenaded an audience of nearly 30,000 with love ballads, rock and roll, and a hearty dose of covers

On the third and last day of the Cherry Blossom Festival in Shillong, Meghalaya, a sign from an audience member caught singer Ronan Keating’s eye. “Did I just read a sign that says you love me more than pork?” he asked.

So when an empathetic “Only in Meghalaya” came our way, we realised the magnitude of this compliment to Keating. The audience was positively entranced by the 46-year-old Irish singer as he announced to the 30,000-member audience at the RBDSA Sports Complex, that he intended to give every performance his best, and be the flag bearer of his band Boyzone. He serenaded with hits like ‘Lovin’ Each Day’, ‘If Tomorrow Never Comes’ and ‘Love is a Rollercoaster’. Audience members ranging from six to 60, returned the ardour by singing along in shocking, pitch-perfect congruence to lovers, real and imaginary. Some wept overcome by emotion, while others swayed like the wild sunflowers that grow around Ri Bhoi district’s Umiam lake, some 30 minutes from the venue.

The third edition of the Cherry Blossom Festival between November 17 and 19, of which the first day was cancelled due to incessant rainfall, was full of heartening performances delivered to an audience that knows and loves its music. There was a dance dome, a couple of fashion shows, and a hearty dose of cricket as an agonising India-Australia World Cup final streamed by the second stage.

Local legend Lou Majaw, known as the Bob Dylan of the East, walked into the venue with few layers of clothing despite the chill as the temperature dipped to 12 degrees. By the end of his performance, his mike was tucked into his trademark denim shorts. The 76-year-old rockstar made the audience sweat, as he danced with his guitar all the way up front. He performed as he usually does, with dancing and a mission to keep spirits high — all amidst chants of ‘Set Your Soul on Fire’.

Talent like Lou’s is among the rare few from Meghalaya that get as much recognition from the rest of the country and world, (even the Chief Minister Conrad Sangma is known to occasionally perform post his cabinet meetings) despite the State being recognised as a bastion of rock music. Other bands from the region that have been able to receive as much acclaim including Snow White, and blues rock band Blue Temptation, also received tremendouslove and support from the local listeners. When the band Snow White sanglyrics in Khasi, a sea of fans screamed along. 

Hybrid Theory, the Portuguese Linkin Park tribute band, also had the audience headbanging to rock of the 1990s. Frontman of the band, Yves Alezandro, was emotional at the band’s second performance in India. He thanked the country profusely in between his sets that contained songs including ‘Numb’, ‘What I’ve done’ and ‘In the End’.

Melvynn Pathaw, a singer from Shillong, said that while rock continues to be the mainstay here, dance music and pop have caught the fancy of a younger generation that is looking to groove, setting aside the angst that comes from rock. This explains why acts such as Ne-Yo’s and DJ Jonas Blue, were equally well received at the Cherry Blossom Festival.