7:00pm. Lights off. A murmur ripples through the audience. People scroll through their phones, wondering when the act will finally begin, which, by Bangladesh standards, should be at least an hour after the designated time. And then, suddenly, the lights go out. The X Force logo on the screen begins to blink. The murmurs grow louder, then abruptly give way to silence. Followed by screams.
The hair is unmistakable, even in silhouette. The lights from the ground illuminate the Fender Stratocaster first, followed by the man, the legend himself: Bappa Mazumder. Starting right on the mark. And that sets the expectations for the rest of the show: no dull moments, no technical issues, simply no disappointments.
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Held on October 9, 2026, at the KIB Auditorium in Dhaka and organised by Mavix Global, “Moonlit Melodies Live with Bappa Mazumder” marked his return to the solo concert stage after more than two years. And might I say, the three-hour set was worth every second of it.
I think the first CD I remember buying — well, technically, it was my mum who bought it — was “Ek Mutho Gaan 2” in 2010. And I remember falling completely in love with it. I knew every song by heart, be it “Nissho Keno Lage”, “Ektu Jodi” or “Bhalobeshe Mori”. An even earlier memory was hearing the familiar chorus of “Din Bari Jai” as a caller tune when calling someone. Even without knowing his name, I knew his songs.
And that is coming from someone born in the 2000s. For those who grew up in the ‘90s, the connection runs much deeper, especially through Dolchhut, the tragic death of Sanjeeb Choudhury, and songs like “Ami Tomakey Bole Debo” and “Bayoshkop”. Bappa’s hits are seemingly endless. Even if he plays for hours on end, you can spend the entire show waiting for your favourite song to come up, only to find that it just might not. And you’re surprisingly okay with it because he doesn’t just make up for it; he goes beyond it.
This time, Bappa wasn’t particularly concerned with making the setlist accessible to everyone. Part of it could be because this was an intimate, private solo show with roughly 250 people in attendance, and he seemed to understand early on that the audience genuinely cared about the music. Despite starting with the more “obscure” songs by mainstream standards, the audience knew all the words. They also knew when not to sing over the vocalist. Instead, they harmonised, their voices growing louder only when Bappa pointed the microphone towards them.
The show opened with “Dhulo Pora Chithi”, followed by “Bhanga Gora” and “Chader Shohore”. Old classics, yet none of them sounded like repetitions or mere replications of their studio versions. Each song featured an elaborate instrumental break that gradually built into a jazzy explosion. In fact, few artistes in Bangladesh can blend contemporary music with jazz as effortlessly as Bappa Mazumder.
Bappa has spoken about his musical influences in multiple interviews, and Eric Clapton has been a constant presence in those conversations. So, even if I hadn’t known about the influence beforehand, I might have recognised the familiar melody of “Wonderful Tonight” in his 2001 hit, “Kokhono Icche Hoy”. The other influences, however, came as a surprise.
As the show approached its final stretch, Bappa introduced the next section with a few words:
“You’ve been a wonderful audience so far. And because of that, I’m going to attempt to be a little brave now.”
Then came a guitar riff that was all too familiar. The visuals shifted to black and white, with roses appearing on the screen. A nearly five-minute-long introduction followed, during which it almost felt as though the soul of David Gilmour himself had possessed Bappa. And then came the opening lines: “Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun.”
The entire concert felt like an embodiment of that line. A trip down memory lane, certainly, but also a reminder that our childhood heroes are still as extraordinary as ever, still creating music as beautiful as the songs we grew up listening to.
The set continued with another beautiful rendition of “Hey You”, featuring an amazing outro by Zaman Saif of the band Dreek, before culminating in the final Pink Floyd cover of the night, “Wish You Were Here”.
Bappa also performed “Tor Premete”, a song he has covered before and for which a live version is already available on music streaming platforms. Yet somehow, it simply doesn’t get old.
Midway through the show, Bappa sat at his keyboard and, in a more intimate moment, dedicated a heartfelt rendition of “Je Raate Mor Duarguli Bhanglo Jhore” to his wife. A song about how she came into his life and the immense joy she brought with her, a light amid life’s disasters, obstacles and moments of profound emptiness.
Beyond the music, he spoke about the state of art and culture in the country and how, given the current circumstances, being able to put on a live show at all feels both surprising and like a blessing.
The evening also carried moments of remembrance. Following the passing of Hasan Abidur Reza Jewel from cancer, Bappa paid tribute to him with “Chokher Bhetor Shopno Thake”, acknowledging the artiste who had helped inspire his own musical journey. And, of course, there’s “Ami Tomakey Bole Debo”, the Sanjeeb Choudhury classic that Bappa performs at every show, a song that continues to resonate across generations.
An ensemble of talented musicians was responsible for the show’s execution: Sohel Aziz on keyboards, John Sutton Munshi on bass, Sheikh Imran Ahmed Dano on drums, Tanbeer Dawood Rony, the keyboardist from Meghdol, and Mithun on percussion. The show was organised by Utsho and Raju, with Saif, Shaon and Antora providing backing vocals. Together, they helped create a sound that felt expansive without ever losing the intimacy of the evening.
A big part of any concert is its audience, and this one deserves special mention. The crowd was respectful, attentive and genuinely appreciative of the music. When audiences aren’t breaking barricades or creating chaos, concerts can become safe spaces where music, civility and security coexist. This show was a reminder of what live music can look like when the audience understands that being part of the experience doesn’t mean overpowering it.
Bappa eventually brought the night to a close with “Pori” and “Bazzi”. And just like that, it was over. A man who has been delivering hits since 1996 is, 30 years later, still finding new ways to play them, making them sound as contemporary, if not even classier, than songs from the 2020s. There is something remarkable about an artiste whose music feels as timeless as ever, no matter how many times you’ve heard it. And after all these years, Bappa still gives you every reason to keep listening.
