EFT Report, Mumbai: Pakistani pop rock band Jal, who were slated to perform in Mumbai on Wednesday, April 3, 2013 was called off. The band is now hoping for its Delhi gig at Hard Rock Cafe (HRC) to go on as per schedule.
While the Mumbai HRC has refused to officially state any reasons for the sudden cancellation of the show, for which tickets had already been sold, sources from the venue say that the organizers had received threats from the "usual suspects" and did not want to take a chance.
An operations executive of HRC, on conditions of anonymity said, "There was pressure on the management to not allow the Pakistani band to sing in Mumbai, especially in wake of the tensions between India and Pakistan at the border. The management had received threats from hardliner parties about the action they would take if the gig by the Pakistani band would go ahead. After contemplating till the last moment, in wake of a new threat that came, it was decided to call off the performance and not take a chance."
According to the source the decision was conveyed to the Pakistani artists, who were already in the city and waiting to perform on Wednesday.
This would mean that for the second consecutive year, Pakistani pop band Jal will return from Maharashtra without staging a show.
Last year, the protests from Bhartiya Vidyarthi Sena (BVS), a wing of the Shiv Sena, had forced a Pune college to cancel the performance of the band at their annual event. This time, just a day ahead of its album promotion show at Mumbai's Hard Rock Cafe, the gig was called off without any reason.
The management of Hard Rock Cafe, Mumbai, issued a statement saying, "Due to unforeseen circumstances the Jal performance at Hard Rock Cafe, Mumbai has been cancelled. We understand that it was an eagerly awaited performance and we deeply regret the inconvenience caused...."
While the statement says that the band's Delhi performance would go ahead as per the original schedule on April 5, the mood among the duo in the band is off. The band was to perform to promote its third album Pyaasa in the city.
Lead vocalist Goher Mumtaz said, "We plan to perform songs from our latest album as well as some of the old hits in Delhi."
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| Pakistani Band Jal |
An operations executive of HRC, on conditions of anonymity said, "There was pressure on the management to not allow the Pakistani band to sing in Mumbai, especially in wake of the tensions between India and Pakistan at the border. The management had received threats from hardliner parties about the action they would take if the gig by the Pakistani band would go ahead. After contemplating till the last moment, in wake of a new threat that came, it was decided to call off the performance and not take a chance."
According to the source the decision was conveyed to the Pakistani artists, who were already in the city and waiting to perform on Wednesday.
This would mean that for the second consecutive year, Pakistani pop band Jal will return from Maharashtra without staging a show.
Last year, the protests from Bhartiya Vidyarthi Sena (BVS), a wing of the Shiv Sena, had forced a Pune college to cancel the performance of the band at their annual event. This time, just a day ahead of its album promotion show at Mumbai's Hard Rock Cafe, the gig was called off without any reason.
The management of Hard Rock Cafe, Mumbai, issued a statement saying, "Due to unforeseen circumstances the Jal performance at Hard Rock Cafe, Mumbai has been cancelled. We understand that it was an eagerly awaited performance and we deeply regret the inconvenience caused...."
While the statement says that the band's Delhi performance would go ahead as per the original schedule on April 5, the mood among the duo in the band is off. The band was to perform to promote its third album Pyaasa in the city.
Lead vocalist Goher Mumtaz said, "We plan to perform songs from our latest album as well as some of the old hits in Delhi."
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