Not what I expected
by BenP on 8/20/25Agganis Arena - BostonRating: 1 out of 5Mostly Tamil songs! Very few Hindi songs. Very light Orchestra! All synthesized music.

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Played by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
With performances from AR Rahman and other musicians from India
A world without AR Rahman would be a world without Bollywood.
Described by Time as ‘the world's most prolific and popular composer', the Indian singer, songwriter, composer and philanthropist has influenced every corner of his home country's cinema culture. In this Asia TOPA exclusive, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will perform the Music of AR Rahman, with the superstar himself taking to the stage as special guest.
Fusing the delicate intricacy of eastern classical composition with the innovations of electronic music and the majesty of traditional orchestral arrangements, AR Rahman's music has earned him two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA and a Golden Globe.
Featuring signature works such as Jai Ho and Slumdog Millionaire Suite, this one-of-a-kind concert will see the MSO joined by international guest soloists S. Navin on flute and Asad Khan on sitar as well as vocal soloists and an epic 30 voice choir.
Mostly Tamil songs! Very few Hindi songs. Very light Orchestra! All synthesized music.
We had a wonderful time at the concert. So glad we could make it to Boston for the A.R. Rehman concert all the way from upstate New York
It was a great show. All singers were low profile though. It wasn’t a live music show, it was more of a karaoke type. Still, it is ARR show. Been there, enjoyed the songs no matter what !!
He sang less and most were sung by the crew. 80-20 Tamil-Hindi mix. Would have liked him to sing more.
Most of the songs were sang in Hindi. There wasn't a hype to the start of the show. Brought only a few singers that weren't popular. Even the Tamil songs chosen weren't well known songs.
Concert performances by the artists were great. However, overall enjoyment got diluted due to seating arrangement. Despite paying a premium seat fees, the stage was not clearly visible. There was a frequent movement of audience members on the aisle in the front. the seat was very uncomfortable and extremely close to the neighboring seat.
I paid $700 for 2 tickets, and the show was not worth it. Most of the time his side singers were singing and venue owners was not letting us because we went outside. Very bad experience
Too many non Hindi songs. The vibe was never consistent! Wouldn’t go again although I will keep admiring ARR as a music director!
While the music and the singers were all high caliber the main issue was the best of AR Rehman songs from Bollywood movies were completely left out. It was 75% Tamil and Telugu songs that majority of crowd did not understand or follow. There should have been a clear level setting that this will be typically not Hindi music show
It was little disappointing to hear 70% Telugu songs! He should have done 2 shows one for Bollywood songs and second for Telugu songs or there should have been a disclaimer that it is NOT a 100% Hindi songs concert! Considering the ticket prices extremely high it was disappointing for people who were expecting all Hindi songs!!
Went in with very high expectations but was underwhelmed by the coldness of the experience. Sound was not clear. Which is surprising considering this was a music concert. Only the high pitch sounds were coming through and low pitch was garbled. Crowd engagement was very low, probably due to the sound issue
The VIP ticket was sold for $425 but at the entrance of the building we were told the car parking wasn't included and we were forced to pay an additional $40. When they charge $400+ for VIP ticket, they should include Car parking also. Also, for the VIP packing they should have offered a free welcome drink but we were given with a notebook, pen and an eye glass.. what's the relation to these items with the concert ? The food (burger) was sold for $20 but there was no veggie.. it was just a bug and a patty. The food was horrible. A glass of water was sold for $9. Definitely it's not worth to buy a VIP ticket !!
I attended A.R. Rahman’s concert expecting a truly entertaining experience that would celebrate music for all Indians. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a huge disappointment. While the event was marketed as a concert for everyone, Rahman sang mostly Tamil songs. Even when he started singing Hindi songs, they often transitioned midway into Tamil since those tracks exist in both languages. As a non-Tamil-speaking audience member, it was frustrating and left me disconnected for most of the show. Honestly, it felt like a Tamil-focused concert rather than a pan-Indian musical experience. I wish the organizers had been transparent about this in advance. For me, it was a waste of time and money. If this is intended to be a Tamil concert, it should be clearly mentioned in the promotions so audiences know what to expect.
Concert was mesmerizing . Backdrop visual, music team, audio was at its best
Great energetic show. Everything on time . Worth every penny . Would go again next year
Dream come true to see AR Rehman perform live! Everything was great.
Should have performed more Hindi music. Yes he is great but the crowd that attended a huge portion did not understand the south indian music.
Would not go out of my way to goto this one. The energy level seemed low.
He is a maestro and each band member was great. But I was definitely not hoping for the tamil/Telugu songs. At least not the one which were famous and we were nostalgic for. There were even songs in start that began with Hindi lycris but soon after 1st choros they switched to Telugu, it was definitely a mood/vibe killer
loved the opportunity to see AR Rahman on this side of the globe.