As the crowd slowly seeped into the Gymkhana Club Grounds in Gurugram on this late February evening, it was easy to see how Delhi NCR – a place of climatic extremes otherwise – was the perfect stage for an open-air Michael Learns to Rock (MLTR) concert. The mild temperatures, forgiving humidity and generously clean air mirrored the consummate balance of melody, rhythm and texture characteristic of MLTR’s distinct sound. Across nine studio albums, a few compilations and a live album, MLTR’s sound leans towards rock, infused with an edgy electronic sheen, sharp punchy drums, warm fuzzy electric guitars often with a power-pop lilt, and bass lines quietly permeating the spaces between the instruments. Is it rock or pop, soft rock or power-pop – such questions are moot when one is already sucked in by the silken vocals of Jascha.
Taking the stage at the exact scheduled time of 8 PM, MLTR immediately launched into the booming drum-guitar intro of Someday, arguably their smoothest pop-rock number, drawing an equally energetic collective roar from the crowd that momentarily drowned out the speakers. With the propulsive guitar solo – a highlight of the song – behind them, they segued seamlessly into Sleeping Child, which again met with an immense response from the Delhi crowd. What followed was one hit after another, including the circumspect Complicated Heart, Blue Night, 25 Minutes, You Took My Heart Away et al. The visual effects, some bordering on psychedelia, others evoking elements related to the song’s theme and occasionally displaying the lyrics, elevated the atmosphere.
The production was more guitar-heavy than I remember experiencing in the earlier MLTR shows I have attended. Mikkel made sure to enhance the performances with distinct guitar embellishments, be it the throbbing arpeggio for Complicated Heart, the boisterous riff for Wild Women, or the sustained lead guitar lines weaving beneath the vocals of I Still Carry On and Paint My Love. The measured, staccato guitar solos of Blue Night and Breaking My Heart, which did not deviate much from the studio recordings, were soulfully rendered. Nevertheless, a few additional guitar interludes in It’s Gonna Make Sense and the floaty outro of Complicated Heart uplifted those performances further. Equally enlivening was the guitar solo for 25 Minutes, not present in the studio version but played as standard on stage.
There were a few non-standard additions too, such as a two-minute section from Relax (Don’t Do It) by Frankie Goes to Hollywood folded into the outro of I Still Carry On, a church organ intro for 25 Minutes, and the piano solo from Naked Like the Moon leading into another non-standard guitar riff, in turn transitioning into the intro of Wild Women. In fact, this author would venture to state that Wild Women was the absolute pinnacle of the whole show, decisively putting to rest all those tongue-in-cheek questions about whether ‘Michael has finally learnt to rock’. Meanwhile, Kåre kept up the tempo not only in the songs with his flourishes and energy, but also through sporadic chitchat harking back to the band’s past association with India, peppered with appreciation for the country, even recalling all the cities they have previously played in, including about half-a-dozen places in North East India.
The event was touted as a callback to 90s nostalgia, obviously targeting those who grew up listening to MLTR decades ago, and the 3000-odd-strong crowd did not disappoint. They sang along with gusto for every song, barring perhaps the lesser-known – at least in India – I Still Carry On and It’s Gonna Make Sense. On the flipside was the rather resounding response to Love Will Never Lie, Breaking My Heart and You Took My Heart Away. Even as the band bid a faux goodbye, they were accompanied back to their positions with reverberating screams of ‘once more!’ and ‘encore!’. The sing-along enthusiasm on display during the final two numbers – Take Me To Your Heart and That’s Why (You Go Away) – and the sonorous cheer at the final drum strike synchronized with the explosion of confetti did not go unnoticed, leading this author to naively believe that MLTR meant it when they said they would ‘come back’ to India, in general, and New Delhi, in particular.
When that happens, February would be best – as always.
Setlist (with remarks)
- Someday
- Sleeping Child
- Complicated Heart
- I Still Carry On
…with a section from Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood folded into the outro - Blue Night
- It’s Gonna Make Sense
- 25 Minutes…introduced with a short simple church organ piece
- The Actor
- Love Will Never Lie
- You Took My Heart Away
…Naked Like the Moon piano interlude… - Wild Women…sandwiched between a riff of unknown inspiration
- Breaking My Heart
- Paint My Love
- Take Me To Your Heart
- That’s Why (You Go Away)
Date: 22 February, 2026
Venue: HSVP Gymkhana Club, Gurugram, India
Producer: Fever Live Events India, in association with 94.3 Radio One
The Timber Trawler 