Every winter, Delhi’s live music scene peaks with festivals and gigs, but this year, it is quieter and punctuated with coughing fits. With the AQI often over 400, the season meant for performances has become a battle to breathe.

Parikrama’s Subir Malik says this Delhi winter is brutal for musicians. “Singers’ throats are their livelihood—if their throats suffer, the whole band can’t play,” he says.

Nitin Malik of Katalyst Events says smog is causing cancellations, and artistes are anxious. He recalls a Gurugram show where a top artistes landed with a throat problem. “Being one of the greatest artistes and a fine human being, he pulled off the show,” Nitin says. “But the next day he faced the same problem and we had to take him to a doctor and get him antibiotics,” he adds.

Mohit Bijlani, founder of Team Innovation, says air quality is now part of their risk protocol. “We now deploy temporary air-purification units, mist screens, dust-control setups, and eco-friendly generators to create safer micro-environments at venues,” he adds.

Euphoria’s Palash Sen treats precaution as discipline. “I avoid cold, spicy food, sour pickles — and lean heavily on yoga and breathing exercises. We are living in times where if you can save yourself, then save yourself,” he says.

Kirtan artiste Radhika Das, who performed in Delhi over the weekend, says “I warmed up by limiting outdoors on high pollution days and rested my voice consciously”.

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Our guitar player, Abhishek Mittal, he just couldn’t take it. Yesterday he left for the hills. He’s saying, I can’t stay in Delhi any longer. I think everybody is going through a horrific time to keep up with the levels of pollution hurting their throat.

- SUBIR MALIK, KEYBOARDIST PARIKRAMA

I do sometimes feel the effects on my throat or breathing after long sessions, especially if there has been heavy outdoor exposure. I warm up, avoid long outdoor hours on high-pollution days, and rest my voice consciously.

-RADHIKA DAS, MUSIC THERAPIST AND KIRTAN ARTISTE

I am not actively seeking out concerts or gigs right now, but I still have to protect my voice. I take warm water, kaadha to keep my throat clear . I also wear a scarf around my neck, or try to keep it covered at all times, so that it stays warm.

- ABHISHEK BHATIA, SINGER, CURTAIN BLUE

It’s been stressful accepting gigs during peak season. Have been postponing vocal recordings since weeks because the throat just not feeling up for it.

- VARUN RAJPUT, VOCALIST, ANTARIKSH

I have warm water throughout the day and do steam inhalation during night to protect my voice. I have a mixture of honey, turmeric and black pepper.

- PALASH SEN, VOCALIST, EUPHORIA

From the size of venues to the number of attendees and the grandeur of the artistes, concerts in the past year have evolved – transforming from mere music events into a larger cultural phenomenon. It didn’t matter whether one was a die-hard music lover; the sheer demand for the live gig experience had fans scrambling to snag tickets.

Case in point: Coldplay’s Ahmedabad performance broke the record for the largest stadium show of the 21st century, with 1,11,989 fans in attendance – narrowly surpassing the record set by George Strait, who played to 1,10,905 fans in Texas last June.

At a time when concerts have become a melting pot for artistes, organizers and fans alike, the conversation around event logistics has never been more relevant. From seamless entry and exit to parking, washrooms, crowd management, and ensuring both fan safety and artiste satisfaction, stakeholders across the board weigh in on the infrastructure expectations at live events.

In December, Diljit Dosanjh spoke about infrastructure at his Chandigarh show and said in Punjabi, “Here we don’t have infrastructure for live shows. This is a source of big revenue, many people get work and are able to work here... I’ll try next time that the stage is at the centre so that you (the fans) can be around it. Till this happens, I won’t do shows in India, that’s for sure.”

A diabetic Mumbai-based fan had shared his harrowing experience at the Byran Adams concert. He claimed that the lack of washrooms left him with no choice but to pee his pants. “I am NOT ashamed to say that I am diabetic with continence issues. You guys should be ashamed for providing three loos/1000 people,” he wrote in a post, accusing the organizers.

In December, singer Monali Thakur left the stage midway during a live gig in Varanasi. Explaining to her fans about this decision, the singer wrote in a post, “I am disheartened because my team and I were so excited to perform here. Let’s not talk about the infrastructure and its condition, as that is the management’s responsibility. I can’t explain what they have done to the stage just so they can steal money.”

She added, “Time and again, I said that I could injure my ankle here. My dancers have been telling me to calm down, but everything was a mess. We were trying because I am answerable to you all, and you come for me, right? You will hold me accountable for all of this”

From an organizer's perspective, several key areas warrant attention. “Beyond venue development, improvements to transportation and robust security measures are crucial. A cohesive understanding between event organizers and local authorities will significantly enhance the experience for both artistes and attendees,” says Rishabh Talwar, Business Head, Team Innovation.

-Active stadiums like a cricket stadium cannot always be used for concerts due to scheduling conflicts and their primary function as sports venues

- Organizers need multipurpose, plug-and-play venues designed for concerts, similar to those in the west

- These venues should have built-in production facilities and acoustic treatment

- The ease of organising concerts must improve, with streamlined permissions and reduced bureaucratic hurdles

— Avadh Nagpal, co founder, Souldout

- Obtaining approvals and coordinating with authorities to conduct concerts is a task, often leading to last-minute cancellations without care for the financial and logistical investment of organizers

- There is no uniformity in production quality across different venues. The same concert in Mumbai, Delhi, or Bangalore can feel drastically different because of inconsistent infrastructure and acoustics

- Lack of industry regulations: Currently, anyone with some financial backing, can call themselves an event organizer. This results in inexperienced promoters inflating artiste fees to secure shows but failing to deliver quality production or marketing

- Established artistes don’t always scrutinize the credentials of event organizers, which sometimes leads to mismanaged tours, ultimately harming the industry

— Avadh Nagpal

Talking about the Bryan Adams show that he did in Goa, Deepak Choudhary, founder and MD of EVA Live, shares, “We did a Bryan Adams show in Bambolim Stadium in Goa with 15,000 people and the city was still operating well. 70% of the time the stadium is not being used. The country has the infrastructure. The greatness of a Coldplay show in Ahmedabad is an example of that. Finally, we are getting stadiums to do concerts. Like in Delhi, A R Rahman’s show happened at Garden of Five Senses a few years ago but nobody is doing a show there now. The issue is not the absence of the facilities, but the lack of a right plan.”

“There is certainly a need to have more venues for bigger concerts. As an artiste, I also feel that fans usually struggle with logistics like parking spots or accessing the road to the venue. I feel everything else can be managed, these are the two things that we need, we lack proper planning,” shares Rahul Vaidya.

Kailash Kher, who performs with his band Kailasa, adds that it is encouraging that a discussion has now started on concerts and concert economy. “Music concerts pehle bhi hote thay par music ko lightly liya jaata tha. In the last decade – government, corporates and institutes have started taking these seriously. Infrastructure improve hone ki zaroorat hai... When international concerts happen, chahe samajh aaye na aaye, audience ka joh approach hai unke liye, ek jaisa har jagah hai. Aise hamare music ko bhi promote karna chahiye. Unke tickets black mein le rahe hain, par jab Kailasa ka show hota hai, wahi log free mein passes chahte hain toh yeh jo mentality hai, yeh change hona chahiye. Difference ko kam karne ki zaroorat hai,” Kher points out.

Subir Malik from Parikrama adds that in terms of music, light and sound, we don’t lack anything or in technical aspects, it just depends on the organizer and local event organizer. “From the musician’s point of view, I go and watch concerts all over the world. With the quality of sound, lights, and the engineers we have, the output of our vendors in India is world-class. From the music’s point of view, I am happy that India is getting all kinds of diverse artistes. The production of a show like Coldplay’s is not easy but that was managed and that is a huge thing for the country. The only thing where we need to work a little extra is crowd management, entry into the concerts, exit from the concerts and availability of toilets.”

Faridkot duo Inder Preet Singh and Rajarshi Sanyal agree that the infrastructure isn’t as big an issue as organising big concerts efficiently. “Hosting a concert takes a lot of intense technical and logistical requirements. From managing local transport for a large crowd to the food, beverages and the venue – all play an important factor in ensuring a smooth concert experience. Take for instance, the recent Coldplay concert. Many fans took a long time to just exit the venue after the concert. If we look at the one organized in Abu Dhabi, many fans were raving about how they were in their cabs and on their way home within 15 minutes after the concert was over. We have to figure out how to make the process efficient so that we can get closer to such numbers,” they tell us.

Shilpa Khanna, a resident of Sec 52, Gurgaon, who attended AP Dhillon and Karan Aujla concerts last year, shares, “I attend almost all concerts in NCR. I can manage the entry/exit points but what one cannot deal with are the washrooms at these venues. Firstly, it is impossible to find a washroom and when you do find one, there are long queues. And they are anything but hygienic. So, imagine being at a venue for 5-6 hours without any basic infrastructure in place.”

While complaints about the conditions of public restrooms at such venues remain a common grievance among concertgoers, attendees also contend with parking issues and occasional rowdy crowds. “Most of my friends choose not to go to concerts because of the crowd. Who wants to push people to enter and exit a venue. Sometimes you end up spending more time at exit and entry points than you do at the performance. It doesn’t matter if the concert is in Gurgaon or Delhi, finding a parking spot is impossible and if are lucky to find one, it takes hours to leave the venue after a concert,” says Rajat Chopra, a resident of Ramesh Nagar, who attended Bryan Adams’ show in Gurgaon last year.

Deepak Choudhary, founder and MD of an event company, shares that most promoters either already have arranged or are working to provide better washrooms at concerts. “Sometimes a promoter’s ROI does not allow them to give access to washrooms. In such cases, they are at fault. However, some of these promoters (like District by Zomato) are now asking customers to fill satisfaction forms while finalizing an event. The real issue is parking. The communication to fans abroad is ‘don’t bring your cars.’ We also tell our consumers here that there will be no parking but they still think they will find a way. They think they will bring their cars and find parking. And then we plan a 2 km walk and they get upset that they had to walk for 2 km. The infrastructure is not ready within the venue to park so many cars. And that has to be solved with the consumer behaviour, govt’s effort and pre-planning of enough parking areas near the venue. Organizers also need to make sure that there’s enough parking management.”

Deepak Choudhary highlights the gap between concertgoers’ expectations and reality. “Someone told me that they fainted because they didn’t get water at the concert but the organizers have planned enough water booths. It is a delivery expectation. We, as promoters, are not the people who will give something in your hand. We are giving you the access, doing everything we can and sometimes some promoters don’t communicate. That is the issue.”

After host Raghav Juyal was called out for making an ignorant comment while introducing a contestant from Assam on a TV show, the spotlight has once again shifted to the prejudice about the Northeast (NE). Artistes from the region feel that while things have changed, there’s still a long way to go.

Subir Malik, founding member of rock band Parikrama, shares, “At times we even got in fights when someone misbehaved with our beloved friend and bandmate late Sonam Sherpa, and our many friends from the Northeast,” he shares. He blames the “general upbringing of a few idiots” for such behaviour.

Actor Dipannita Sharma, who hails from Assam, has also struggled with and questioned the set idea of ‘Indian look’ in showbiz. She says, “People from the NE have been subjected to racism for so long that even the slightest hint of a joke has become a sensitive topic… When it comes to narratives in the media, people need to be extremely careful. If something like that is on a popular show, even as a joke, then those who believe in that will get encouraged to pick on their Northeastern colleague or neighbour.”

While Juyal has released a clarification and apologised for hurting sentiments, the judges of the show, including actor Madhuri Dixit Nene and choreographer-director Remo D’Souza, have refrained from commenting on the issue.

Noting the lack of representation on the small screen, Assam-born actor Parineeta Borthakur wonders why people from the NE are not shown in stories, unless based in the region. Actor Bijou Thaangjam from Manipur, seen in Mary Kom (2014) and Shivaay (2016), notes that “TV is stuck in the past”, but representation on OTT is getting real.

Actor Adil Hussain, who hails from Assam, calls it more of a “territorial instinct prejudice”, and adds that things would be better if the youth are educated in an inclusive system. Here, the Village Rockstars director Rima Das, who also belongs to Assam, accepts that while stereotypes exist, it is their responsibility to change the narrative. “I feel that we need more mainstream opportunities... If we get more visibility, our characters will get more visibility. Misconceptions will change then,” she concludes.

Looking down upon another language or culture is pretty much there. I don’t think it’s going away very soon. There’s more acceptance in the film industry now, but I am not saying that we have suddenly become evolved citizens.

I can see some television shows where they are not presenting the Northeast correctly. That’s because it is by someone who is not from the region, and doesn’t know the culture well.

The bias continues to exist... It (the racist behaviour) is basically to blame on the general upbringing of a few idiots. I personally think there’s more awareness around this now.

You never see people from the Northeast when they tell stories based out of Delhi and Mumbai. I have hardly seen any Northeastern looking actor playing a main lead unless the story is set in the region.