Al Ngullie
Morung Express Feature
Dimapur | February 1
Till the good old 1990s, in sleepy Nagaland when ‘jean long pants’ were for Goondas, when Baptist churches vehemently rained down creative curses on long hair and when Stryper was ‘Satanist’ in the wise nods of the average Naga parent, there was one thing that somehow survived censure. The survivor was a music cassette that sat on a prominent spot near the family’s gigantic “tape record.” The item was a tape with a grey-orange cover of five men in tight denims and pointy boots standing inside a hangar. Petra.
For a split second, almost everyone inside Dimapur District Sports Complex Stadium on Wednesday, February 1, must have had a rush of déjà vu – either an ‘I have heard that song somewhere as a kid’ or a ‘hey I have their cassette at home.’
On Wednesday evening, John Schlitt and Nagaland’s own rock ego-saver Divine Connection, led skinny boys in skinny denims and sweet middle-aged fans in tweed coats, on a loud journey of revisiting. A journey only the children of the 1970-1980s can tell vividly.
And so the evening began with the customary observance of the Nagas’ rich cultural tradition of late timing. For a show scheduled for 4PM, it was an achievement that it began only around 7:15 PM – just a few hours late, so no worry.
For those who had been waiting since 4PM, even switching on the colored stage lights roused great excitement – joyful hurrahs resonated every time someone accidently switched on the lights.
After at least a century of waiting, lengthy sound checks and vehement grumbling from irritated mouths, the show began to show signs that it hadn’t died yet. Scores of announcements of thank-yous to one, all and sundry followed endlessly. Then to the irritation of the fans, another time-honored tradition of the Nagas, the chief-guest-and-speech item, was observed faithfully. The organizers fished out Minister for Health & Family Welfare Kuzholuzo Neinu for a speech. Thankfully, the fans escaped torture as the minister chose to say only a few sentences and an appeal to the crowd to “not be rowdy.” When the minister completed his 4-sentence “speech,” the relieved fans showered him with the loudest of love and cheers.
The Opening Facts
Finally, the show stared with opening act Naga Idol Renbeni Odyuo backed by members of Alobo Naga & the Band. The Naga Idol performed a poignant rendition of Eva Cadssidy’s ‘People Get Ready’ (originally by The Impressions). Lackluster sound somehow dampened the festivities but the talent hunt winner survived to perform an original. Then another round of hair-graying session of vote of thanks took the stage. “Emman bishi thanks ni dibi ho!” a fan shouted from somewhere.
Thankfully, Dimapur-based musicians Alo Wanth Band took the stage to assuage the fans – the noise devotees had been growing visibly older from having to endure the endless vote of thanks from the concert organizers. Smart in aviators and a tight t-shirt to insult the winter evening, Alo Wanth greeted the crowd – and returned to twiddling and twaddling sound checks. Poor sound continued to torment the band’s performance although they played strong numbers. The crowd was starting to swell. So did irritation that John Schlitt was nowhere in sight.
The Man from Petra
Then, after another monotonous session of acknowledgement – a brief one this time – the stadium roared back to life. The blond-haired American icon leapt onto the stage in a bright red-white Kyong vest. Backed by Nashville musician Michael Hill and members of Divine Connection, the group straightway launched into ‘Save Me’ and a harrier version of ‘God is too big’ (both from ‘Unfit for Swine’, 1996).
Initially the crowd responded uncertainly to the two comparatively unfamiliar songs – ‘hey, the songs don’t sound like ‘Beyond Belief!’ or so the look on some of the fans said. That vanished when John Schlitt and Divine Connection announced the hit ‘More than a thousand words’ from Petra’s 1995 Grammy-nominated album ‘No Doubt.’ Finally, a song every Naga knows! The celebrations had begun. From the words of gratitude the band led the fans to the struggle between the self and God. The Petra front man took out a metal hammer and brought it hard down on the stadium with the heavy ‘Jekyll & Hide’ from Petra’s last studio album (2003) by the same-name. For those who loved music – Christian or “secular” – a great song is a great song. The younger fans greeted the Grammy-nominated song with, well, the Sign of The Horns. Oh well, Christian song or not, rock will be rock. So the high fingers went up.
More Hits to the Ears
The still young-voiced Schlitt took the crowd through the lull and barrage of hits from the singer’s solo offerings and a set from Petra including the hugely popular ‘St. Augustine’s Pears’ (God Fixation, 1998) and ‘There is someone’ (a song whose presence is regular in youth church services). In both the songs, the band had to do a line-up change – John, Michael and Divine Connection’s Obed Kath on backing vocals, Mhathung on the bass guitars, Bendang on the drums and Lichen on the guitars. Oh, the lead vocalist was the crowd on both songs, that is.
A highlight of the concert was a ‘worship’ set with popular Christian praise classics such as Darrel Evan’s ‘Trading my sorrow (Yes Lord)’ and yes, Petra’s very own ‘I am on the rock’ (from the groundbreaking album ‘Beyond Belief’,1990 ). More hands, louder cheers and Dimapur on the lead vocals as usual. And what Christian rock concert is a Christian rock concert without that, that song? Yes, one of the biggest rock anthems in the Christian music world, ‘Beyond Belief’ took the stadium by the throat and slammed it against the hundreds of eardrums. The only ones that did not join in the song were the auto rickshaw drivers stuck in the traffic outside the stadium.
By the time a rock version of the praise chorus ‘Lord I lift your name on high’ came on, the festivities were at fever pitch. One could only reach out joyously and celebrate even more as one of the most amazing rock concerts in Dimapur played another incredible smasher –the award-winning radio hit ‘Just Reach Out’ (Wake Up call, 1993).
John Schlitt, American, blond, about 60 years old, legend, Grammy-winner, rock Icon, follower of Christ left a performance worthy of memory in the hearts of the hundreds that Wednesday evening. They, who grew up listening to a cassette with a fading, grey-orange cover by a band called Petra, now have a story to tell for a long time to come. A loud, hard and heavy story.
