Unplugged 2019

Another night under the lights !

Two years ago, began a tradition that would forever change the music scene of IIIT, Hyderabad. The people of ‘The Music Club’ were bored with the same old ideas and wanted to do something distinctive. They thought of having an acoustic evening, in a cosy and personal environment with relaxing music. No heavy drums, no guitar distortions, just an evening filled with tranquility and serenity. The club heads were highly sceptical at first as they were clueless about how such an event would turn out. It is really hard to fathom something that has never occurred before. But it turned out to be the hottest event of the semester, and ‘Unplugged’ was born that eventually became a trademark of The Music Club.

On a cool cloudy evening of October 5th, 2019, the Vindhya Canteen looked like an entirely different place. It was lit up with gorgeous yellow lights and stylish lanterns all around that would leave anyone mesmerised. The atmosphere was enchanting and it truly felt like a dream. The sound system was set up, with lots of acoustic guitars, violins, keyboard and the cajón on the stage. The First Act commenced at 7:30pm, and saw some really amazing performances. Aakash played an incredible rendition of the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song that would’ve made Hans Zimmer proud. Sarthak and Akshay performed an acoustic version of ‘Kaun Tujhe’ and Pranav nailed the high notes on “Kabhi Kabhi Aditi”.

Then came the most awaited performance event of the night, by the band Antra. A very unique setlist that included the ‘Lazy Song’ by Bruno Mars and ‘Baitikochi Chuste’ by Anirudh Ravichander, the band captivated the audience with their acoustic renditions. RMP sang those verses on ‘Aye Udi Udi’ so effortlessly that it would’ve rendered Adnan Sami speechless. Anshul traded his guitar for the ukulele, and enthralled everyone with his unique style. 

The Third Act began with Sonakshi and Manu doing their own duet of ‘Main Agar Kahoon’ that drew a thunderous ovation from the crowd. Prakrati and Vivek performed a spectacular version of ‘Rehna Tu’ by AR Rahman. Akshaya, with her incredible voice, performed Fallin’ by Alicia Keys and hit those high notes with perfection. Kritika and the Adityas, in probably their last Unplugged ever, gave a fantastic performance as always, and did more than justice to the wonderful chord progression of ‘Lost Stars’. 

After all the three acts, began the encore, which saw some more delightful performances. For those four wonderful hours, no one was worried about assignments or anything else in life. Everyone gathered underneath the breathtaking yellow lighted skies and they let the music drive all their ‘trebles’ away, which has always been the main objective of the event – to be ‘unplugged’ from the worries of life. 

With 50+ performers and almost 4 hours of music, the 4th edition of Unplugged was the biggest ever. Unplugged ’19 killed it, truly owning up to its name of being the hottest event of the monsoon semester.