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Tom Morello mesmerises Mumbai with his magic, but his son Roman Morello steals the show
American guitarist Tom Morello performed in Mumbai on Friday in his maiden India tour, leaving fans amazed with his energy, with his son being a big surprise
A sea of music lovers in black took over the Fairmont Hotel in Mumbai on Friday night, and you just knew that they aren't gearing up just for a show but a heart thumping celebration of rock music. American guitarist Tom Morello performed in the city for the first time on December 19 as part of his his maiden three-city India tour and it was all that you'd expect from his and more- unabashed, unapologetic, bold and big.
With this being his first tour in India, Tom Morello gave out a lovely message to his Indian fans before rocking their night. “I have waited for more than 30 years to be here. I can't believe it is finally happening and I am performing for the great people of India,” he said.
Opening with some of his classics like Soldier In The Army of Love, One Last Dance, Let's Get The Party Started and Hold The Line, the artiste upped the energy level with each track. When he teased the crowd by asking if they knew who Rage Against the Machine was, the roar of the crowd was so deafening that it took a beat for even Tom to be able to hear anything at all. The artiste then treated the fans with an instrumental medley of the band's songs.
While Tom showed the magic an electric guitar could do, it was his 14-year-old son Roman Morello who stole the spotlight with his guitar skills. Performing almost a five-minute long solo guitar piece, Roman left the crowd awestruck with his capabilities. But what was more endearing was the proud father moment that Tom was having during the performance. Standing beside him, cheering him on, he couldn't help but hug him when the piece ended and he reminded the crowd how young Roman is.
Even though the night was quite high on energy, it also had it's mellow moments, especially when Tom spoke about the influence of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath and its frontman, the late American legend Ozzy Osbourne on him and his generation. Pointing to his son, he said that Ozzy continues to inspire this generation as well before the father-son duo broke into a performance of Mr Crowley, remembering Ozzy.
Tom also paid a tribute to his former bandmate from Audioslave, Chris Cornell with the song Like A Stone, and made the whole environment emotional as he left the microphone empty with the spotlights on, in his honour. He followed it with an instrumental medley of the songs of Audioslave, leaving the crowd wanting more.
From political dissent to a celebration of rock and roll, Tom's performance had it all, and he didn't leave without making another promise to his Indian fans. “I know it took a long time, but it won't be another 30 years until we come back again,” he signed off.
Tom's three-city India tour, produced and promoted by BookMyShow Live, opened in Delhi before moving to Mumbai. His final performance on the tour is scheduled in Bengaluru on December 21.
