Pour Some Sugar on Me: A Night of Music, Memory and Meaning
- sanjanakrish
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
A Friday evening in Mumbai turns into something more than just a concert. Watching Def Leppard live becomes a journey through memory, identity, and the quiet ways music stays with us long after the night ends.
It was a magical Friday evening last week, one that will stay with me forever.
I landed in Mumbai the Thursday before, excitement in my voice and a spring in my step. The airport thrummed with activity, setting the pace for what was to come. I should have known.
The rest of the day passed in a blur, a swish of movement and appearances. Mumbai never ceases to amaze me. The chaos, the noise, the traffic, the sheer multitude of people, and yet somehow it holds it all in a warm, almost fuzzy embrace. That is Mumbai, never monolithic, always moving, fluid, its roles constantly shifting.
Friday dawned bright, blue skies stretching endlessly above. We caught an early morning show of Hail Mary, easily one of the best science fiction films to release in a long time.
I am a self confessed fan of geeky stories, planetary travel and emotional arcs, and when they come together the way they did in this film, it feels almost extraterrestrial, out of this world.
Five in the evening rolled by and I stretched into the car. Pour Some Sugar on Me by Def Leppard was playing on the stereo. I caught my breath and smiled.
Forty nine years ago, a group of sixteen and seventeen year old lads came together to form one of the most iconic bands Britain has ever produced. Who would have thought this moment would be possible, them performing in Mumbai for the very first time.
The opening act for the evening was Indus Creed, with Uday Benegal leading the charge. The numbers were moody, soulful, energetic, and above all nostalgic.
Then the moment arrived. The name Def Leppard was emblazoned across the screen in molten yellow, outlined in a fiery, sunset orange red, searing it with raw passion. The five members walked onto the stage and the crowd erupted, a single voice of anticipation and memory.
The lead singer, Joe Elliott, dressed in a shimmery black coat studded with crystals, or something even finer, addressed the crowd in his raspy voice, dripping with excitement and imbued with infectious energy. His hair fell straight and smooth to his neck, catching the stage lights as he moved.
…and the graphics of the feline leopard, almost lifelike on the screen, felt ethereal. I found myself wanting to reach out and touch its velvety dark coat.
They opened with the ever catchy Animal and moved through newer numbers from their recent albums. Then came the songs everyone had been waiting for. Pour Some Sugar on Me, Armageddon It, and the moodily searing Love Bites.
They closed with Hysteria, but not before giving us the soulful Two Steps Behind. By then the crowd was singing along, turning the concert into something that had to be lived, not just watched.
And when the crowd sang Hysteria, “it’s such a magical mystery,” my heart sank. I didn’t want the evening to end. The sky was dotted with blue balloons, let free by the crowd. I hate to use the word surreal, but I did feel disembodied, floating somewhere in space.
It was a deeply emotional, almost cathartic moment, seeing them in flesh and blood, playing with such passion. The music rose into the night sky, carrying itself over rooftops into something that felt close to the heavens.
Some may say it was just a group of old timers singing a set of hugely popular songs. What could be so special about that. Fair enough, I understand that point of view.
But to me, it was more than just music.
It was a journey through time, the younger me standing on the threshold, hopeful and eager to make a mark. It was about memories made with people I have since lost. And the person who I am today, entrepreneur and a mother to a teenager and 10 dogs, anxious but determined to make my brand Green Molecule work.
It felt like grieving, and at the same time celebrating a world that no longer exists, one that now lives only in fragments of memory.
I will always be grateful to them.
In their journey, I see quiet determination. Also, in their music, I have come to love and cherish the transformative power it holds.
Molecularly Yours,
Sanjana
Curiously Irrepressible
First dreamer. Accidental chemist @ Green Molecule - Clean Confidently
A Personal Note
P.S.: This is simply my personal experience and not a prescription for anyone else. We all find our spark in different ways—to each his, her, or their own. This is not a roadmap at all, just something that worked for me.
snickerdoodle0109
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