KARACHI: It felt as if it was 2003 again. The Monsoon chill was in the air as the mounting crowd awaited their favourite musicians to hit the dual stage for a battle of the year. Who cares about crowning a winner when the only thing that matters is meaningful music, powerhouse of talent performing and the crowd going berserk on every lyric. Kudos to the creative minds behind Red Bull for bringing forth a live concert featuring our yesteryears’ rock idol Ali Azmat and the king of our new breed of musicians, Umair Jaswal. One of the many highlights of the event was the fact that it brought together people of all ages, gender and walks of life. We witnessed actors, event managers, choreographers, DJs, models, journalists, anchors, students and myriads of media people. The crowd cheered, danced and hooted and Karachi burst into life with this one. It was beautiful! Musician-turned-actor Ahmad Ali Butt hosting the night brought back memories of more than a decade back when Battle of the Bands was held and we saw our favourite rapper/comedian participating with his band EP against Aaroh. It was a memory rewind for many of us. The evening began with a drum solo by Pakistan’s finest drummers, Gumby and Ahad. After which Ahmad Ali Butt took charge on stage and invited both Ali Azmat and Umair Jaswal to kick-off the first-ever Red Bull Soundclash in Pakistan with the ‘Warm Up’. Azmat was the first to begin, singing his heart out to some of his most memorable songs of Junoon fame as well his solo numbers. The crowd went berserk and sang many of Azmat’s songs for him. It was crazy. Jaswal was next with his heart-felt vocals and a softer pitch as compared to Azmat. He sang his most famous ‘Coke Studio’ numbers and we were hooked onto each and every track. Both the artists were unique in their own way. The veteran singer versus our contemporary crooner made up for some of the most memorable live performances to date. Fans of both the artists were seen dancing, cheering and rooting for their favourite musician to win at the coveted platform as that of Red Bull Soundclash. There was never a dull moment with this one. The score level gauged by the applause metre was high for both artists, adding more excitement and anticipation amongst all those present. The final round was the Wild Card where Azmat and Jaswal were asked to invite a musician of their choice to collaborate on stage; Jaswal invited Faraz Anwar and Azmat’s choice was Mikaal Hasan. The singers’ choices made it clear how different, diverse, unique and versatile they were in their approach to singing and their taste in music. Once again when Ahmad Ali Butt asked the audience for their response, the result gauged by the applause metre was in favour of both. By this time Azmat invited Jaswal on his stage to end the tension that was brewing between them since quite some time especially on the day of the event and voiced his appreciation for both Jaswal and Pakistani music as a whole. Jaswal on the other hand embraced Azmat with a hug and shared his appreciation for the living legend. The first-ever Red Bull Soundclash ended with both Azmat and Jaswal charging up the crowd once again with the legendary track “Jazba Junoon”; both artists indeed made the event what the people have been longing for ie live music and a concert. Many present at the event believed that the concept of two stages with the crowd in the middle introduced an innovative yet competitive music concept that has set a benchmark in the Pakistani music industry. Here’s hoping, Red Bull would hold its next instalment of a Soundclash soon enough!