Black Eyed Peas

So I have been trying to combine all the work travel I do with social outings. This week I went down to Bangalore and saw the Black Eyed Peas in concert. It was the first big concert I've ever seen in India. The tickets were about $30 for general admission up front (there were cheaper $20 tickets where you stood further back). The area was a dusty fair ground and around the edges were stalls selling various indian snacks and free water (which was nice). I thought I saw tour t-shirts but they weren't actually for sale. I went with my friend/colleague who now lives in Bangalore, Justin and his wife Jyoti.

Doors opened at 5:30, we got there slightly after 7 and there was supposed to be an opening act but they didn't show. So the Peas went on at 8. I worried a bit about crushing crowds - it being india and all - but for the most part, while it was crowded, it wasn't bad. For a while we were standing behind this guy who was doing what I term as the "nixon" dance with his peace signs up and wiggling his hips. It may have been the least cool thing I've ever witnessed. We were maybe 10 rows of people back from the front corner of the stage. They actually sounded good live and definitely brought energy - although I didn't feel the crowd gave them much back. They just wanted to watch fergie. Everytime she came to the front of the stage or on the jumbo-trons the men would go crazy and everytime she wasn't they chanted "we want fergie". Actually pretty obnoxious. It's as if they've never seen a woman in a short skirt (which might be true). Fergie and Will.i.am did some of their solo stuff and mentioned the other two had solo albums coming out next year. I wish they would have gotten a chance to showcase their stuff. Would make me more likely to buy their albums.

So besides a few india moments (where people were squishing too close and didn't seem to understand that if they wanted to squeeze in front of us, we'd have to move back and that wasn't an appealing offer for us) - it was really fun. Great music. Not a huge crowd (my other colleague who went said Bangalore was really more of a rock city - as evidenced by the last concert he had seen, The Scorpions!). Show ended promptly at 10, which felt really strange but all in all, good times.

Next time maybe I'll try to get a press pass and take photos!