No major build up, no great expectations this time. Guys in the first phase of college life these days are remarkably well informed about local bands and nuggets of info like who plays which covers best, who plays the best pure death/thrash, who DJs at which pub, etc. By comparison, for an avid (rock) music listener, I was an innocent little ignoramous when I joined college. Fests and rock shows didn't mean anything to me but I was more than happy to tag along with 'the herd' on Saturday, 10/11/2001 for the Autumn Muse rock show featuring Threnody and Moksha. There was a goodish crowd with the usual suspects - black t-shirts, couples, wannabe death-metallers etc. We arrived just in time to see Threnody finish their bit with Metallica's Whiplash. That had the crowd moving a bit. Then Moksha arrived. Hope they're good, I said to myself. What do they play? They warmed up with an own-comp. I don't quite remember but I think it was Dine with the Devil. Then came a blistering succession of songs delivered with such tightness and energy which literally blew me off my feet. It's passe for most Indian rock/college rock bands to play covers of 80s hard rock bands these days, and even more passe for the (self-respcting) 'rock' crowd to like that kind of music. That wasn't the case with Moksha and it rocked. When they went ahead with a full-throttle take on Motley Crue's 'Kickstart My Heart', I was in the seventh heaven of delight. I jumped and crashed my head around without a hint of self-consciousness, screaming out the lyrics for all I was worth. I've no idea what the rest of the crowd was doing. The people immediately surrounding us (the herd) must've eyed me with the disdain reserved for posers. (Motley Crue? Who the hell listens to a lame-ass band from the glam era whose locks of hair had ten times more depth than their music? With a few reservations, my general policy is, 'If it rocks hard and true with a neat melody, bring it on! ). This was followed by Whitesnake's 'Slide it in' and Extreme's 'Suzy'. Such a track list was a big 'huh?' for the purist and newbie alike. I loved it. 'Do you guys like Van Halen?' yelled Leon. 'I think I heard someone scream "Eruption" said Christy, "Nah, I couldn't pull off that one. Sorry Eddie. It'll have to be PANAMAA!" More frenzy from me, as I continued to revel in the innocence of my first rock show. I was as excited as a fox let loose in a hen-house. Next came "....And this song's from a group that calls itself 'icy daicy'" and he started off "You shook me all night long." Then came the powerful Maiden medley, which included Wrathchild, Be Quick or Be dead and Can I Play with madness, as far as I can remember. I have never, ever heard better Maiden covers in my life. (Moksha's trademark sound is very Maiden-ish indeed, but they sure know what they're good at, and play it amazingly well!) What followed was the most memorable moment of that show , which'll always remain etched in my memory. The crowd yelled for a Sabbath cover, then a Dream Theater cover, and finally the chants of 'Floyd! Floyd' came about.The rest of the herd, who don't share my liking for hard rock, joined in eagerly. "You guys have just cost me a big dinner!" quipped Leon, "I had a bet with Christy here that the audience wouldn't ask for Floyd. I hate you guys!" And they started off with that inexplicably haunting, dreamy, overplayed yet overpowering college rock show staple, 'Comfortably Numb'. It felt really...er, numb (for genuine lack of a better word). Seven of us, singing at the tops of our voices. That was the heady moment for the day! After some Dio, Metallica and Judas Priest covers, my friends had enough of this noisy overload of unfamiliar compositions, and decided it was time to go. I reluctantly went along, neck almost broken and throat absolutely worn out from screaming myself silly. The herd said they'd never see me go wild ever before. They needed to take me to a rock concert every month now, for the apparent novelty of seeing me go wild.
Regrettably, that would be the only time I saw Moksha in concert. There was a show in PESIT sometime during May 2002, which i couldn't attend due to some stupid internal or the other. Then in May 2004, there was a show in palace Grounds featuring Pentagram, Zebediah Plush and Moksha for which I showed up with major expectations. Plush were solid that night. Then, the rain came and washed away the possibility of Moksha performing. Later I heard Willy, drummer boy and senior in College who shifted to Chennai, had joined the band so i had faint hopes of seeing them again. With the unfortunate new sof Leon's is death, and the fact that I'm in the states, the John's show and its associated nostalgia is all I'm left with.
I can't claim to be a Moksha fanatic, though I've listened to and enjoyed some of their stuff, especially 'Dine with the devil' and 'Chasing my life'. However, that show five years ago at St.John's remains one of my fondest memories of college life, a night of pure uncomplicated genuine fun and,
the most enjoyable rock show I've been to(not theat I've been to a great many). And I really repsect the band for whatever little they've done for the rock scene in India, for appearing on the Maiden Tribute Album and all that. And of course, for transforming the scene in Chennai, my birthplace and a city otherwise not especially renowned its contribution to Rock Music. No doubt Leon will receive more fitting tributes than this one from people who attended more than just one of Moksha's shows. Nevertheless, I've posted mine as an appreciation for the time I had at that concert. Here's hoping the show goes on yet.
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