Bangalore: “Bangalore is like California’s Silicon Valley, but people here are a lot more nicer here.” Coming from a renowned and globally-acclaimed gospel singer Don Moen, these words sent the spirits soaring high among the nearly 10,000 crowd, which had gathered to hear him perform at the Palace Grounds on Friday evening.
That Don Moen enjoys such a clout among so many people across the globe was proved, with both the young and the old flocking to the venue to listen to his live performance. And he never disappointed any of them. For nearly two hours, and without a single break, Moen ensured that the crowds got their money’s worth.
His repertoire included some of his hits like Thank you Lord, arise, take your place, How Great is our Lord, Mi Corazon (I give you my heart) and finally wrapping up the show in style with the crowd favourite, God is good, all the time.
The singer who is on his first tour of India was all praise for the audience for coming in large numbers and also for singing along with him. “I didn’t know that people in India can sing so well,” Moen said in response to the 100-voice city-based choir which accompanied him throughout the entire show.
He also went a step ahead and invited one of its members, Sandra Oberoi, who runs a music school in the city, to perform along with him.
“From the time I began singing, I have always dedicated myself to sing only for God’s glory. It was an amazing experience to sing alongside Don Moen. When he himself called me specifically to sing along with him, it came as a surprise and a rare privilege,” said Sandra Oberoi. “In fact, he treated us (the choir) more like his own family, which we never expected. Even though we had hectic practice sessions, Don made us comfortable during the concert, thereby making us enjoy the whole evening,” added Sandra.
Earlier, the Voice Band led by Shabu and Melwyn delivered the opening act by performing familiar numbers making the crowd go gaga.
Karnataka governor HR Bhardwaj and former top cop HT Sangliana were guests of honour at the event.
