Soulful Rahat Fateh Ali leaves behind an evening to remember

He came, he saw and he conquered the hearts and minds of his fans with some exhilarating live music. Delivering his signature best performance, Pakistani maestro Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, in his maiden live concert in Doha, proved why he is currently one of the most sought-after singers in the Asian subcontinent.  Despite the cold and windy conditions, West End Park Amphitheatre, in Asian Town, was packed to capacity. Organiser Apex Events estimated there were more than 5,000 people in the audience.Nusrat’s evergreen melody, Akhian Udeek Diyan, was sung by Khan to great applause.It was not long after everyone was seated that the host for the evening, Ayesha Sana, announced the Ustad’s arrival on stage. Attired in a blue sherwani (Pakistani traditional dress), Khan for the first time had his son Shah Zaman Ali accompanying him on stage. As he took his place behind his harmonium on stage with his son by his side, the giant screens on both sides of the stage projected their close-up and the crowd went up in cheers. Building up the mood with his popular Bollywood songs, Khan gradually moved to his uncle, the legendary Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s qawwalis. Khan enthralled the audience with his vocals.Tumhain dilagi bhool jani paray ge was the first of them. As if the audience were waiting exactly for this moment, the hands were up in the air and hundreds in the crowd were swaying with the rhythm. The night could never be complete without Nusrat’s evergreen melody, Akhian Udeek Diyan, a qawwali that had shot the legendary singer himself to the heights of fame. And Khan did justice to the epic rendition.He did start it with its moniker ‘alap’ and recreate the ‘sargam’ with the similar vocal acrobatics that his uncle Nusrat had popularised. People were already up, dancing. In the two-hour long performance, Khan sang non-stop, delivering one after the other popular song with his band of musicians supporting him. And yes, Shah Zaman Ali Khan, was also handed the microphone. The kid demonstrated good vocal control when he sang a line from the song, Tere mast mast do nain. Ably carrying forward the legacy of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali, Khan himself has quickly established his own stature as that of a music sensation. Having lent his voice to musical scores for films from some of the world’s best cinema, Khan from Pakistan is well-recognised both inside South Asia and beyond. The concert was his first in Doha, put together jointly by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and Apex Events. On his arrival in Qatar, a day ahead of the show, Khan was given a tour of the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) by the QTA. Braving the cold, fans came in large numbers to Asian Town to listen to their favourite singer. Photo by Umer NangianaKhan appreciated the architecture of the museum and its collection. Later, he was greeted by the ambassador of Pakistan, Shahzad Ahmad, and other guests at a gala dinner organised by Apex Events.“I am really excited about performing in Doha. I am going to bring to you some of my best songs with a mix of greatest melodies from my Ustad (teacher) Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan,” said Khan in his pre-concert message. Presented by QTA, the live concert of Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was sponsored by Domasco with GAC motors, Honda, Malabar Gold & Diamonds in Platinum sponsors. “I was really looking forward to performing in Qatar like I have performed in other GCC countries. Qatar was one still not done and I am thankful to PME, my international management company and Apex Events for making this happen,” Khan added. Born in 1974 in Faisalabad, Pakistan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is the nephew of the legendary Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and grandson of the Qawwali maestro, Fateh Ali Khan. He is from a family whose name has become synonymous with South Asian musical tradition.From a very early age, he was taken into tutelage by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and has been an integral part of his qawwali party travelling the world and gaining recognition globally.Khan travelled to America in the summer of 2000 with two high-profile performances at Central Park Summer Stage, New York and Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles to fine critical acclaim. He started his world tour and was soon performing in cities in the United States, Canada and Europe including performances at Festival International Des Cultures-Pirineos Sur in Spain and SFINKS Festival in Belgium.In 2001, he performed at the Tibet House benefit concert in New York at Carnegie Hall and soon after he performed for the Earthquake Benefit Concert in NY hosted by former President Bill Clinton. Khan loves live performances as much as he enjoys recording playback.In 2002, he worked on the soundtrack of Hollywood flick, The Four Feathers, in collaboration with the American composer of orchestral and film music, James Horner.He also collaborated with The Derek Trucks Band on the song Maki Madni for The Derek Trucks album, Joyful Noise. In 2006, he gave Hollywood another huge hit as his vocals were featured on the soundtrack of Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto. In 2014, he released his latest album Back 2 Love which sold millions of copies. He was invited to perform at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and concert in Oslo recently. “Our main motive is to promote Qatar as a country to top notch artists in Asia. We are sincerely thankful to QTA for their support in this initiative and helping us to put forward the biggest Asian musical performance,” said Sana Salman, the Director of Marketing, Apex Events.The Gold Sponsors of the concert were Qalco (Qatar Lubricant Company) and Dania Group while the Associate Sponsors are Al Muftah Rent a car, Mosafer Travels, Pepsi, Habib’s Hair & Beauty, Zaffran Dining, Sapphire Plaza Hotel, Baskin Robbins and Dunkin Donuts.