From Cosmos Sangma
Tura, Dec 2: The show that rocked the night and literally placed Garo Hills on the global musical map by staging one of the biggest international musical events was, no doubt, the Me’gong Festival at Jengjal on November 30, when “Europe” met “Asia” and electrified the night with its dazzling performance.
Legendary Swedish rock band Europe was in town to perform their last international show of the year- and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Returning to India after 36 long years, it was the moment everyone had been waiting for a long time. Their last performance was in Mumbai in the year 1988.
And what an impression they left. From the 1984 hit song “Open your heart” to “Rock the night” “Cherokee” and “Superstitious” to the power ballad of 1987 “Carrie” the crowds swayed to the lyrics.
And Europe saved the best for last. The grounds of Baljek airport literally shook when lead vocalist Joey Tempest took to the stage to belt out their iconic number “Final Countdown” as a sea of hands went up in the air and a galaxy of camera lights recorded history.
This was clearly the show that propelled Me’gong Festival and Garo Hills into the global music chart.
And there was no doubting that.
From the sprawling grounds of the non-operational Baljek airport that can accommodate well over ten lakh people, to the multitude of roads linking up the venue to Assam, Shillong (via Nongstoin) and Tura, it was a dream come true for both organizers and concertgoers.
For hundreds of fans who came from other parts of the country, the impression they took back was that Jengjal (Me’gong Festival venue) can be the North East version of Bangalore’s Bandland- where India’s biggest concerts are now being held to record crowds of several lakh fans given the connectivity and open spaces.
Barely two weeks ago, Bandland hosted its biggest rock concert for the second year in a row with record crowds witnessing the legendary American rock group Extreme and heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold.
On any given day, Jengjal can match Bandland, and they proved it on Saturday with Europe performing. Over a lakh of people witnessed the concert without a hitch. It raised the bar.
“Never in our wildest dreams did we ever imagine that a legendary rock band like Europe would one day perform in the North East, that too in Garo Hills Me’gong Festival. I am beyond belief!” says 49 year old D K Sangma of Tura who grew up listening to the hits of rock band Europe during his teenage days in the mid 1980s.
“The song ‘Carrie’ has been part of our college days and it continues to pull at our emotional strings,” says a Meghalaya police officer reminiscing the good old days of young adult life.
One of the oldest fans of Europe to land at Me’gong was a 75 year old lady from Shillong. Fondly known as Kong Mercy, a retired government official from Mawkyrwat, she was ecstatic to witness her iconic rock band perform before her eyes.
“When Europe first came on the world scene, I was already working. I first read about them in a magazine, but one day a friend posted a cassette of their album all the way from Calcutta. It was 1987. My brothers loved their songs and I was totally swayed by their music. There was no turning back,” says Kong Mercy as she narrated her experience of Me’gong Festival and the legendary band.
“Everything was organized. It was fantastic and I would love to come back for another Me’gong Festival. It has all the grades to be an international event,” says Kong Mercy.
One of the takeaways from this mega festival is the ease in which fans, visitors and commuters were able to navigate the routes to and fro the festival.
In comparison to last year’s botched traffic arrangements when people spent the night on the road due to massive traffic jams, this year it was a cruise.
“We had been fearful of a repeat of last year’s grim scenario and were hesitant of the outcome. We had even booked a stay for the night in Tura. But witnessing the smooth flow of traffic at the start of the show and after, we cancelled our stay to head back to Assam. We were in bed by 4 AM,” narrated Sanju, a young music fan and concertgoer who had travelled all the way from Guwahati city for the Europe concert.
Clearly, Me’gong Festival in Garo Hills has proven its credentials to be the next musical centre of the north east. There can be no turning back after this.
