American guitar legend Tom Morello says his friends have often told him that playing in India is an altogether different experience and he is about to find that out with his upcoming three-city tour of the country.
Morello, known for his trailblazing sound work with the bands Rage Against the Machine (RATM), which he co-founded in 1991, and Audioslave, will perform in India for the first time, an opportunity he was waiting for a long time.
"I'm very excited for not just my first concert, but my first trip to India. For decades, I've been wanting to play in India. Fans from India have been reaching out since the earliest days of Rage Against the Machine, hoping that I would one day be able to play there. So, in some ways, it is literally like a dream come true," the Grammy-winning musician told PTI in an interview.
The 66-year-old is globally popular for his inventive guitar style, marked by unconventional picking and tapping techniques, the creative manipulation of feedback and noise, and an extensive, experimental use of effects that allows him to produce sounds rarely heard in rock music.
In India, Morello will first perform at Huda Gymkhana Club in Gurugram on December 17, followed by a concert at Mumbai's MMRDA Grounds on December 19. His last stop will be at Bengaluru, where he will perform at Phoenix Marketcity, Whitefield, on December 21. The tour is produced and promoted by BookMyShow Live.
It won't be all work for Morello, who has a whole itinerary planned to make the most of his first trip to India.
"I've spoken with some musician friends who have played in India, and they say the entire experience is very different than playing in New York City or Chicago or somewhere. So I'm interested to find out what that means.
"From a purely tourist point of view, I'm interested in the food, in the culture, in meeting the people, in visiting the Taj Mahal, et cetera, things that are on this kind of bucket list. So I just can't wait." The musician said Indian fans have often reached out to him for these concerts to happen and he intends to not disappoint them.
"I've been hearing from fans from India for forever, and I cannot wait to come and rock them. And when I was approached by my booking agent to play these shows, I jumped at the chance," he said, adding that he has planned a whole catalogue of music that he will be performing at the concert.
"I'll be playing the music of Rage Against the Machine, the music of Audioslave, the music of Prophets of Rage, my solo music, collaborations with Bruce Springsteen," Morello said.
Additionally, Morello is bringing his family to India and on stage, he will be joined by his son Roman.
"I'll be bringing my 14-year-old guitar hero, guitar whiz son as well. My whole family is coming. So, it's really a trip of a lifetime, and I'm looking forward to it," he said.
Unlike the UK, US or South American nations, where he has toured for decades and built a long-standing relationship with audiences, Morello said many in India will be new to his music and that's why he feels a responsibility to honour the excitement and anticipation of all those who will be coming to the concerts.
"Here I'm coming with my latest version of who I am. With India, I have to treat it with a great deal of respect for the fans who have been waiting their whole lives to see (me), fans who have never seen Rage Against the Machine, fans who have never seen Audience Night, fans who have never seen me play guitar, that I want to really show respect to that, and we'll be playing a lot of songs from those bands, as well as a lot of guitar shredding as well," he added.
Morello admitted that he is not well-versed with the heavy metal scene in India. However, he is aware of the Indian folk metal band Bloodywood and praised their music.
"I've played them. Someone introduced me to Bloodywood. There's apparently a thriving heavy metal scene in India, and I have a radio station in the US. I've played this one band several times," he said.
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