A special concert is being organised in Dhaka in response to an incident involving Syed Hasanur Rahman Hasan, vocalist of the rock band Ark, who was struck by a bottle thrown from the audience while performing on stage.
The event, titled ‘Loud City Takeover’, will be held on 4 September at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) auditorium in Farmgate, Dhaka. Sponsored by X Force Presence, the concert is being organised by Get Amped Series and Pickup Point Communication.
Hasan was performing at the concert ‘Barsha Biplober Gaan’, held at Manik Mia Avenue on 5 August to mark the ‘July Mass Uprising’ Day, when a water bottle was thrown at him from the audience. The incident subsequently drew criticism and prompted discussion among musicians, music lovers and others associated with the country’s music scene.
The incident also generated considerable discussion on social media, particularly around the behaviour expected from audiences at live performances and the safety of musicians while they are on stage.
According to the organisers, the upcoming concert is intended not only to protest the incident involving Hasan but also to highlight broader concerns surrounding the safety, dignity and artistic freedom of performers.
Hasan will take the stage with his own band, Ark, during the event. Several other established bands and performers are also scheduled to appear, making the programme a broad gathering of artists from different strands of the contemporary music scene.
The line-up includes Cryptic Fate, Carnival, Level Five, Metal Error and Achar. A K Rahul will perform as a solo artist, while rapper Black Zang is also scheduled to appear.
The organisers have announced that the auditorium doors will open to audiences at 2pm on the day of the concert. Performances are scheduled to begin at 3.30pm and continue until 9.30pm.
The organisers say the event will use music itself as a means of expressing solidarity with Hasan and drawing attention to the treatment of performers during live shows. The underlying message is that artists should be able to perform in an environment where their physical safety and freedom to present their work are respected.
Live concerts depend on a basic understanding between performers and audiences. While artists create an atmosphere through their music and stage performances, audiences are expected to participate without behaviour that could endanger those on stage or disrupt the event.
Against this backdrop, the September concert is set to turn an incident that began with a bottle being thrown from the crowd into a wider artistic statement. With Hasan returning to the stage alongside Ark and several other performers, the organisers hope to place respect, safety and freedom at the centre of the evening’s programme.
