Danish soft rock/pop band Michael Learns to Rock (MLTR) took the hearts away of music lovers in the national capital with their 1990s hit numbers in their maiden performance here.
When the clock struck 8.50 p.m. on Friday, the die-hard fans of the three-piece band consisting of drummer Kare Wanscher, singer-keyboard player Jascha Richter and guitarist Mikkel Lentz, jumped with joy as the trio, aged over 40, hit the stage all suited up.
While Wanscher, in a white shirt with rolled up sleeves and black pants, began the gig by playing the drums with intensity, Lentz, sporting formals, including a tie, strummed the guitar.
Richter, on the other hand, dressed in a grey suit, took charge of the keyboard and mic and started the concert with their last year's single "Silent times".
Then their 1993 hit track "Sleeping child" drew cheers from the crowd at the Showshaa Arena, which can accommodate about 2,500 people, at the Kingdom of Dreams here.
"Complicated heart" also made the attendees sing along wit h the band.
"Thank you so much. We are so happy to see you for the first time a t our live concert in Delhi," Richter told the enthusiastic fans.
The band, which was formed in 1988, also included their latest single "I'll wait for you" in their act.
"We released a new single on November 6. We are playing it for the second time ever," the singer said before entertaining the audience with the song.
The single's video, which played on the screen, was a great way to introduce the song to people who couldn't catch it onl ine when it hit the digital platform last month.
There was also a moment when simply Lentz's guitar and Richter's voice created magic without the energy of drums on stage. The duo performed on their 1997 number "I'm gonna be around", much to fans' delight.
After singing back-to-back chartbusters "Blue night", "You took my heart away" and "Take me to your heart", Richter got emotional before crooning "The actor" and said: "It's an old song. It means a lot to us because it's our first hit song."
Moved by the audience's response, he said: "You sing great. I don't believe that you all still remember our songs. It's been 20 years."
Though the crowd enjoyed each and every number played by them, they kept requesting for "Someday" (1995). The band accepted the request and after enthralling the audience with the song, they left the stage around 10.10 p.m.
The fans didn't want the gig to end and kept shouting 'once more'.
Surprisingly, the trio got back on stage!
Before finally bidding adieu to their admirers here, they performed on "Paint my love" and concluded the show with "That's why (you go away)", which begins with "Baby won't you tell me why there is sadness in your eyes. I don't wanna say goodbye to you".
As they took a bow together, the singer said: "Hope to see you agai n soon."
The concert might not have been arranged on a very large scale here, but like one the attendees from Nagaland said: "It was a dream come true. Not many teens are aware of the band, but the ones who grew up in the 1990s definitely know what it means to watch the MLTR perform in front of them."
The band will soon hit the road. To celebrate their 25th anniversary tour '25 Live', they are set to play at Guwahati (December 13), followed by Dimapur (December 15), then Kolkata (December 17), and finally in Goa (December 19).
The Indian tour has been put together by 7 Sisters Entertainment.
