ProShow Through the Ages : A Flashback

The bells have been rung and the banners have been hung as the dates for the much awaited Proshow Night inch closer day by day. It is a daily spectacle to see students pouring in large numbers at the ticket counters to buy their tickets for the most awaited part of Revels: The ProShow.

ProShow has been the highlight of every Revels, and single handedly attracts the largest crowd as people turn out in huge numbers to catch their favourite artists perform live at the fest. The kind of nights we tuck into our pockets, and look back when reminiscing through college days.

With the big night almost here, let us take a look back at ProShow, and how it has evolved through the years.

 

ProShow’12: Kailash Kher visits Manipal along with his band Kailasa

Kailash Kher performed at KMC Greens with his own band: ‘Kailasa.’ Known for his soulful voice, and Sufi folk songs, he had carved a niche for himself in the Indian Music Scene by then. Students flocked at KMC Greens to witness Kailasa perform live, as they meted out one hit song after another. Kher’s vocals struck a chord with the audience as his rustic voice stirred something deep inside the soul. Looking back into the archives, it turns out that the cost of one ProShow ticket used to be Rs 100, and there used to be only one major artist which performed every year.

ProShow’13:  Pentagram and Agnee

Vishal Dadlani’s band ‘Pentagram’ payed a visit to the university town along with the Pune based Rock Band ‘Agnee,’ who shot to fame with their hit single ‘Aahatein.’ Agnee in their signature style of combining classic rock with Carnatic and Hindustani Classical music, made the audience tap their feet as they held flashlights in their hands, and painted a picture of dandelions swaying to the sound of soulful music.

Pentagram put up a great show too, their infectious energy and hyper stage presence rocked the crowd and made the experience a one of a kind, for the Manipal audience. All in all ProShow’13 was all about Hot indie bands and energetic performances.

ProShow’14:  The Lineup expands, Such Variety- Much Wow

Parikrama, Shilpa Rao, Lost Stories and Anish Sood land in Manipal

Delhi based rock and roll band Parikrama whose work was featured in ‘Rolling Stone India,’ came to Manipal in 2014. The band, known for using classical music instruments like Mridangam, Tabla and Flute along with conventional instruments like Guitar and Drums, performed to a roaring audience at the quadrangle as the lyrics of ‘Am I dreaming’ echoed through the dark corridors of the iconic building.

Famed Bollywood playback singer Shilpa Rao took to stage amidst a big round of applause from the audience. Known for songs like ‘Manmarziyan,’ and ‘Malang,’ Shilpa Rao was greeted by a roaring applause which was silenced all of sudden as she held the mic and her silky voice slowly garnered pitch and tone to the notes of ‘Tose Naina’ which left the audience humming to the lyrics of the beautiful song.

2014 also witnessed the first EDM event to be a part of the Proshow lineup, as Prayag Mehta and Rishab Joshi of ‘Lost Stories’ teamed up with Anish Sood to stitch up a night composed of scintillating beat drops and groovy tunes as people bounced to the sound of music.

ProShow 2014 introduced a bigger lineup to cater to the varied needs of the audience.

ProShow’15: Farhan Live

When the artist reveal banner was unfurled two years from today at KC, it had two words written in bold: ‘Farhan Live.’ The crowd burst into a roar of deafening cheers, and choruses of ‘Rock On!’ were heard in parts and parcel amidst the crowd.

The ticket sales team had a hard time to catch up with the increasing demand as people flocked NLH to not miss out on attending the concert. It is said that about 1300 tickets were sold on the first day of sales itself.

At the start of the concert, Farhan Akhtar executed one hundred pushups as the crowd counted from 1 to 100.

Farhan Akhtar with his nine member band ‘Farhan Live’ meted out hits like ‘Rock On!,’ and ‘Main Aisa Kyu Hun?’ to a jam packed quadrangle. This by far was the most popular Proshow event that had the maximum number of attendees ever recorded.

ProShow’16

ProShow’16 had a star studded artist lineup which was handpicked to cater to the varied needs of the Manipal audience. With the likes of comedian ‘Sorabh Pant,’ Bollywood choreographer ‘Terrence Lewis,’ EDM artist ‘Nucleya,’ singer-songwriter ‘Papon’, and our beloved indie band ‘The Local Train.’

We also had ‘Thespo’ here at the fest, as they judged a dramatics event by the name of ‘Center Stage.’

Terrence Lewis and his crew enthralled the audience on the first day, as he put up an amazing show by stitching stories with the intricate patch work of music, and dance moves. They then went on to show their full-fledged dance performance which received a standing ovation from the crowd.

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Sorabh Pant took to stage on the inaugral day of ProShow, and proved to be an absolute riot, leaving the audience in tears after his act. With jokes ranging from the sex life of mechanical engineers, to roasting his unsuspecting audience. The act concluded with a Q and A session where the audiences were given a chance to ask questions about his life, or life in general. The event wrapped up with Sorabh Pant performing his famous Kekada dance and the sounds of laughter echoing into the night.

Pants

The Local Train rocked the stage on the third day as soulful music echoed in the corridors of Academic Block-1. The band which shot to fame in a short span of one year and one album, meted out one hit after another. They opened the concert with ‘Manzil’ and went on to sing most of their own compositions with energy and enthusiasm. The audience was simply marvelous with their timely responses, chants and hoots. They never missed a beat or a lyric. Like all artists that visit Manipal, they too felt the love and appreciation from them. A crowd this encouraging is a sight worth seeing.

Raman Negi, The Local Train

TheLocalTrain@Revels

Day 4 of the vibrant and happening Revels’16 was the day every single individual of the university town was looking forward to with great excitement. It’s said that the ticket sales for the very last ProShow  were close to 6000. People started flooding KMC greens from 04:30 itself in order to gain a closer view of the ProShow artists. Papon took to stage to a jam packed audience as they erupted in wild cheers at the sight of him.  The artist along with his crew performed songs like ‘Banao Banao,” followed by solos by the band members which showcased their prowess as artists, and the mastery of instruments.

Papon@RevelsManipal

Nucleya@Revels

 

Nucleya took over the stage as the atmosphere changed from being blissful and relaxing to that of an EDM Festival. The electronica artist did not disappoint the crowd as he put up one hit number after another as the audience bounced to the beats of powerful beats.

With this Revel’16 came to an end as the joyous Revelers walked backed to their hostel blocks, happy, tired, and satisfied, and thus began the countdown for Revels’17.

As we eagerly wait for the grand ProShow night with Benny Dayal and Anish Sood performing at KMC greens, we sit back, and enjoy the moment, living through it, chasing moments of sheer happiness.

To Read up on ProShow’17, Refer to the following links:

Revels 2017: A Glimpse of the Artist Line-up

Revels Day 0- The Psychological Illusionist

http://http://manipalthetalk.org/colleges/mit/fests-mit/revels-day-2-laughter-and-other-drugs/

 

 

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