By Natalia Ningthoujam
Itanagar, Dec 18 (IANS) Dressed in a tight fitting leather pants and black shirt, Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen has left everyone spellbound with his maiden performance in India at Dambuk village in Arunachal Pradesh.
The attendees of the ongoing Orange Festival of Adventure & Music were left enthralled on Saturday as Malmsteen created magic with his guitar on the stage.
Hosted by Dambuk in the state's Lower Dibang Valley district, said to be the tenth least populous district in the country, the festival was headlined by Malmsteen.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu was among the thousand attendees who enjoyed rock numbers churned out by the star, who still sports eye make-up and leaves hair open like most of the rockers of the 1980s.
After the announcement of JK Tyre Orange 4x4 Fury champions, the international star performed to high on energy tracks, including his 1989 hit songs "Dreaming (Tell Me)" and "Heaven tonight". The crowd cheered louder when he did his guitar solo.
During his performance, he asked the thrilled audience: " Are you spellbound?"
Going by the hoots and applause, they were clearly left spellbound.
"He has never played in India and has a huge fan following in the northeastern region where heavy metal genre of music is more popular than in rest of the country. I wanted to do this for myself too as I am one of his biggest fans," Abu Tayeng, Director, Orange Festival of Adventure & Music, Dambuk, told IANS here.
Malmsteen is among the most technically accomplished hard rock guitarists to emerge during the 1980s.
His debut album "Rising Force", which was largely instrumental, provided the major catalyst for the 1980s guitar phenomenon known as 'shredding'.
The attendees, mostly from Arunachal Pradesh, spent Rs 2,000 to watch him perform live in Dambuk, known for orange orchards.
The fest also saw performances by French singer Antoine, Delhi's Menwhopause band, Frisky Pints from Mizoram and more.
(The writer's trip to Arunachal Pradesh is sponsored by JK Tyre Motorsports. Natalia Ningthoujam can be contacted at natalia.n@ians.in )
