It’s 2011, and metal fans from across the country have gathered at then Gurgaon for what should have been a landmark event—Metallica’s debut performance in India. Two of Sunday mid-day’s now writers, had flown over from Mumbai and waited in a sea of 25,000 other fans. But chaos was already brewing. Tension escalated between event managers and the crowd, and a stampede broke out, toppling barricades in the front row just minutes before Metallica was set to take the stage. The concert was cancelled, the organisers were arrested and what was supposed to be a historic moment in India’s live music scene became one of the most infamous debacles in the country’s concert history. Metallica marked its debut in India two days later, in Bengaluru, on October 30, and has not returned since.

In nearly a decade-and-a-half after the incident, India’s live music scene has changed remarkably. In the last decade, we have become a tour stop for U2, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Deep Purple, Coldplay, Dua Lipa, the Backstreet Boys, Sting, and the Jonas Brothers. This surge began around 2015 and has remained consistent, with at least three major global acts performing annually in minimum two metro cities, except during the COVID-19 pandemic.