Fondly referred to as ‘Papa Rock’ by the independent music community that he lovingly fostered, the late Amit Saigal was the original firestarter who provided the music scene with the legitimization, and platform that it was missing, when he started RSJ in 1993. In order to commemorate his birthday, blueFROG will be hosting a gig across Delhi and Mumbai on the 4^th of July. Referred to as ‘Fully Fantastic’, an expression that was synonymous with the man himself, these gigs shall see a host of different artists and musicians take stage to honour him just the ay he'd liked it.

The Delhi gig, an all-electronic affair shall host city-favourite Tapan Raj (of MIDIval Punditz) and newbies Frame/Frame and Tarqeeb, along with Ez Riser. “I’m really excited about this and I’d always do it, anytime of the year. Amit was a friend and though he is not alive today, he is always there. This is to celebrate what he has done for the scene and we all love him for that, and it’s gonna be a grand party,” said Sohail aka Ez Riser. Sohail is also the driving force behind the Bass Camp festival and if there’s anyone whose instincts one should blindly trust when it comes to predicting parties of the smashing kind, look no further.

On the other hand, Mumbai’s ‘Fully Funtastic’ is a bit of a mixed bag with Workshop, Zygnema, Hipnotribe, and Vice Versa sharing stage with Orange Street who have been inactive for 5 years now; In fact, their last gig, in 2012, was a one-off in the memory of Amit himself. When asked about whether their set-list would comprise of hits such as ‘Candywalk’ and ‘Sneak Preview’, vocalist Bann was not really forthcoming. “Amit always wanted us to play again and we’re finally doing it and this is for him,” was all he had to say. On the other hand, Sahil Makhija who fronts Workshop told us that they will be seen in an avatar like never before and will definitely be playing songs off their new album. Reminiscing about Amit’s inimitable drive when it came to building a festival like GIR from ground level, he added, “I’m sure Amit will have a smile on his face, like always, as he watches us from above.”

If you’re in either city on the 4^th of July, go break a leg. Also, check out what the good folks from Blue Frog had done as a tribute to Amit Saigal last year.