Ahmad Ali Butt of EP introduced the band and the players shuffled onstage to rapturous applause. Sameer Ahmad, on bass, cheered on by his screeching female fans, Mohammad Ahsan Pappu (where others are upcoming, Pappu is the one bona fide accomplished artist in the band) on flute and Salman Albert from EP on second guitar made up the numbers.

Even prior to the first note being played, it was evident that a lot of thought had been put into all aspects of performance by the band. The way the band turned out was impressive, thoroughly prepared and sound checked. Pappu the flutist definitely lent a more professional air sans his trademark tacky baseball cap.

Once the performance began, the band immediately fell into sync like a well-oiled machine. The set was perfectly paced. The aggressive 'Ya Ali' opened the performance and was the perfect warm up.

Mekaal on guitar was immediately noticeable. 'Ya Ali' was followed by the stately and impassioned Shah Hussain kaafi 'Sajan'. Pappu's brilliant solo matched Mekaal's earlier one for lyrical beauty. Two new tunes were thereafter previewed, 'Kirwani' also provisionally known as 'Snake Eater' (a disjointed work under progress, with pointless vocals by Javed but with some excellent solos) and 'Jhok Ranjan' (very promising and with a very soulful lead by Mekaal).

'Late Moon' the instrumental was announced as featuring solos by each musician. It was quite curious that this needed to be announced as all songs previously had involved all the members of the band (too much so as one after listening to Mekaal songs together gets that there is formula to the composition and indeed the songs tend to sound same with identical instrumentation throughout (maybe a couple of songs can be stripped down in the future?)) In any event, the instrumental was excellent. Pappu continued to shine and showed that pound for pound he is the best soloist of the bunch and indeed can give any instrumentalist in the country a run for their money.

Thereafter a break followed, and immediately after the break the band hit the ground running. Their rendition of 'Sanwal' was affecting. 'Rabba' followed. It was a curious performance.

More so because of Javed's part than anything else (the song is my favourite MHB track). I am yet to be convinced that Javed Bashir has the expressiveness requisite to handle the more sensitive material in MHB's oeuvre. He is technically skilled and supremely effective on the more muscular numbers like 'Ya Ali' but continues to fall flat for me over the softer and more sensitive numbers.

Thinking back to his debut with the band, I was back then quite distressed by his heavy-handed reading of 'Rabba'. Here too while his performance was improved from before (excellent in the start) I found the softer touch requisite to be missing.

For one, his voice is a rather blunt instrument and its huskiness and generally low register makes the softer numbers less convincing. Two, he does not demonstrate the nuances of a more accomplished interpreter of song.

He can play with the melody but not with the meaning of the words. Consider for example what one can do with the line 'Rabba meray haal da mehram tu'. Emphasis can be placed on Rabba ("Rabba" meray haal da...) to make it a solemn plea to the Lord.

Or meray can be infused with more passion (Rabba "meray" haal da...) to indicate personalized suffering, with a feeling of being the only one to suffer among all others. Or haal can be infused with a more desolate feeling.

Or da can be stretched out the infuse suspense as to what precisely follows Rabba meray haal da. Or mehram can suffused with sorrow, tu with an accusatory tone, a helpless tone, a pleading note. The possibilities are many.

That I did not hear any of this from Javed in various repeats (and where previously Ustaad Riaz had made me a fan by doing precisely this) causes me to mark Javed down. For all the audience appreciation of his vocal solos, I actually never really got the sense that Javed really knows what the song means. Perhaps longer song introductions might cover this up in the future.

That this failing was not just the case with one song became all the more evident with the next song. Waris Shah followed. Waris Shah's final kissoff of Dhurti Tay Lou Vichia/ Kabran Piyaan Choun/ Preet Diyan Shehzadian/ Aj Wich Mazaran Roun / Aj Sabay Kaido Bun Gayay / Husan Ishq Day Chor/ Aj Kithoun Lay Aiyay _ Lub Kay / Waris Shah Eik Hor was quite non-evocatively delivered whereas it could have either had pathos (through emphasis on Dhurti Tay Lou Vichia/ Kabran Piyaan Choun/ Preet Diyan Shehzadian/ Aj Wich Mazaran Roun) or been an epic celebration of Waris Shah (Aj Kithoun Lay Aiyay _ Lub Kay / Waris Shah Eik Hor). Having said that, one must also hasten to add that while these two songs might have highlighted Javed's limitations as an interpreter, the next song demonstrated his strength as a singer

'Chali Re' was a pure pop number performed with endearing gusto by Javed. It also demonstrated that Javed to his credit foregoes the over-the-top histrionics and stage antics (as does the rest of the band) that would be all too easy for him to lapse into.

As for the song, though one had heard it previously too, it continues to surprise, pointing out a surprisingly popish direction for this proudly serious-minded band: MHB as Fuzon and Noori performing clapalong music. Possibly a concession to commercialism and a play for crossover appeal. Salman Albert's propulsive drumming was the highlight of the song and for the night this was easily the most accessible song of the bunch, clearly indicative from the way the audience clapped along.

'Sampooran' brought the performance to a close. Pappu was in spectacular form and certainly showed off why even Mekaal bows before his skill. Affable and smiling, he was game enough to shoot smiles back at catcalls of Pappu every once in a while all night. Moreover, for most of the show I thought he was a tad underused and restrained. Now he seemed to channel all his intensity into the solo and it paid off in spades.

His flute solo ripped the roof off. It would have been the perfect end to the night but for the fact that Javed unfortunately on the outro demonstrated his lack of musical tact by inserting a mini vocal solo as an afterthought when it could have done so much better without the same.

Overall, Pappu was the star on the night. He is so on most nights. But certainly Mekaal was the real revelation. This is the best I have heard him play in ages. Mekaal in the past seemed to believe too much of his own hype and sought to thrill through blinding runs in solo. Audiences seemed to always clap the loudest for what were often just runs through scales.

Mekaal this once treated us all to some truly and beautifully restrained and lyrical solos. True, there were fireworks on display on this night too, but this was the most beautiful and assuredly inspired I have ever heard him play. Among the others, Fahd Khan was solid. Salman Albert demonstrated that he is possibly the most adaptable musician on the scene.

Formerly of Noori and his family band Eastern Boys (now known as Ahan) and currently of EP, it was impressive how he adapted to this more challenging fare without much ado. Bassist Sameer Ahmad (formerly of Dog Tag) as ever was enthusiastic and conveyed involvement. The band as a whole seems to have become a crack outfit (muffed notes, missed cues aside and each of those were covered up well enough).

Barring the slightly unseemly rock-show lighting, the event was well-organized (Tamasha Productions take a bow), well-priced (only Rs. 200 per ticket, excellent value for money for such sophisticated music) and the sound was mixed well (Jamie from Mizraab was the sound-engineer).

The atmosphere was pleasant and the crowd appreciative (though they clapped at some wrong (mid solo) places). In short, the night proffered some excellent entertainment and the Mekaal Hasan Band, notorious for performing much too rarely, would be best advised to provide us with much more of the same in the future.