Ukhrul: The much awaited ShiRock night, which is exclusive to the Shirui Lily Festival, consisting of a night of performances by artists and bands, kicked off at Bakshi Ground, Hungpung Wednesday night.
The stage blasted off in high notes as Guru Rewben Mashangva opened the night with his impeccable, show-stealing concert, bringing folk to life. Incorporating his folk elements and staying true to his originals, he was joined in the opening act by Paul Livingstone, an American sitarist, composer, multi-instrumentalist and a Grammy Winner from California.
Despite the rain and muddy ground conditions, people gathered with much gusto for the following performances of the night. The event was broadcasted live on YouTube.
Guru Rewben’s performance was followed by another show stopping performance by The Streetlights, with lead vocalist Somaya Rumthao stealing the hearts of the audience with his rich country voice. They stole the stage with some of their famous covers like “Yellow.”
The Streetlights was joined on stage by Asherie, the Solo Winner of 2019 and gave an unforgettable performance together.
The last act for the night were the Nightmares, winner of the ShiRock band competition 2019. Fans gathered regardless of the late hours showing support and much love. The band rocked the stage and dazzled the audience, making it an unforgettable night.
To sum it up, it was an exciting, exuberant opening night of craze and swell performances worthy of an opening night by all the artists. ShiRock will go on till May 28, the same as the Shirui Lily Festival, with more band performances and international band The Monument from United Kingdom to close the last night of it.
Awangbow Newmai, Minister of Water Resources & Relief and Disaster Management was the Chief Guest at the inaugural of ShiRock 2022. Ram Muivah, IAS (Retd), MLA, 44-Ukhrul AC, SS Olish, MLA, 41- Chandel AC, Thokchom Radheshyam Singh MLA, 33- Heirok AC, and Thangjam Arunkumar, MLA, 15- Wangkhei AC were the Guests of Honour.