Assam’s concert push vs Meghalaya’s reign: Let the battle for music supremacy begin

When the Vengaboys were barred from performing at Guwahati’s Judge’s Field in 2001 for being “indecent”, international acts were a rarity in the state.

Back then, even booking an artist anywhere near Post Malone’s current level of popularity in Guwahati would have been unthinkable — something Assam’s niche “Western” music lovers only read about in Rock Street Journal; let alone the xadharon manuh.

But today, 24 years later, it’s a reality. On December 8, Texas-born Malone — at the peak of his career — is expected to perform in Guwahati, most likely as part of his ongoing “The Big Ass” world tour.

For a state whose tourism narrative has long centred on wildlife and heritage, announcing a concert economy policy to position music as a driver of change is a bold step. After all, it’s not every day that a government attempts to boost regional development by booking an artiste with 71 million monthly Spotify listeners.

“With its rich musical DNA, Assam will finally host artistes from across the world — and it’s well deserved. Global sounds must flow, and young minds need to experience large-scale concerts that can shape their perspectives,” says singer-composer Joi Barua.

For once, Assam is recognising the vast economic promise of live music — so powerful that entire nations are now striking exclusive deals just to ride its wave.

Take Taylor Swift’s record-breaking “Eras Tour”, for instance. Singapore recently drew flak from neighbouring countries for allegedly offering financial incentives to secure a Swift concert. It’s a reminder that the concert economy isn’t just booming — it’s fiercely competitive.

Assam’s competition

For Assam, the road to tapping into the region’s concert potential won’t be easy. Meghalaya already leads the Northeast’s international concert scene — and even that state is shifting gears. Often dubbed the “heritage” rock capital of the country, it’s now courting new-age artistes — Ed Sheeran’s concert last February is a case in point.

Will Assam be able to offer healthy competition to Meghalaya in building a sustainable concert economy in the Northeast? Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma certainly thinks so.

While announcing the date of the Post Malone concert in Dergaon, he said, “We want to compete with Meghalaya in this space.” Citing a newspaper report on Gujarat pocketing about Rs 600 crore from a recent Coldplay concert, he added that his government is all in on giving it a shot.

“Connectivity is a big plus for Assam. With Guwahati as the gateway, artistes will naturally land here first. And given the wide range of musical genres our city crowd enjoys, any one of them can easily draw 5,000 to 6,000 people to a concert on any day,” says Rajiv Kalita, proprietor of Aucto Creations, which managed ground production for the recent Ed Sheeran gig in Shillong.

Shillong’s JN Stadium being decked up for the Ed Sheeran concert in February. (Photo:Aucto Creations)

 Kalita, however, was quick to admit that Meghalaya’s always one up with its scenic splendour. “For concerts, Assam is favourably placed. But if it’s a festival we’re talking about — the serene, picturesque drive from Guwahati to Shillong usually does the trick for both artistes and audiences travelling to Meghalaya,” he adds.

Shillong-based musician Rudy Wallang echoes the sentiment, stressing that Meghalaya’s "vibe" didn’t come overnight.

“Yes, Meghalaya has the vibe — and it’s taken years to build that. The concert culture here goes back decades, to the late ’60s. And now, with a musician as the Minister of Art and Culture (Paul Lyngdoh), he’s taking it a step further. In Assam, apart from the annual Bihu concerts, I haven’t seen many major concerts. That said, if there’s going to be competition, it has to be healthy,” he says.

Beyond logistics

If there’s a battle at all between the two states, it won’t be over who has better logistics. Dispelling the notion that logistics are a major hurdle in the Northeast, industry professionals say such concerns are now a thing of the past.

“For the Ed Sheeran concert in February, we needed some gear for the setup and got it cargoed to Shillong within 18 hours. Sourcing essential logistics — be it lighting, sound, LED, or stage gear — is no longer a challenge in the Northeast,” Kalita asserts.

Acknowledging that top-tier concerts demand massive sound systems, Kalita points to a growing trend in the logistics market dominated by a few big players—and adds that this actually works to Assam’s advantage, since local vendors typically don’t maintain such extensive inventories.

Workers working on erecting a stage. (Photo: Aucto Creations)

“The kind of concerts we’re talking about here — only a few companies in the country handle sound of that scale. Maybe just two or three major players. These setups are extremely costly, and it doesn’t make sense to have such massive inventories in every state. But getting them to Northeast isn’t an issue,” he explains.

However, he points out that to streamline things further, the government — under its new concert economy policy — must simplify paperwork for permissions and offer discounted cargo fares for transporting concert equipment.

Beyond logistics, there are other challenges — such as Assam’s strict “no liquor” policy in most venues — but insiders argue that the biggest overhaul is needed in infrastructure. “Sarusajai is a sports complex. Concerts are being squeezed there only because Guwahati doesn’t have a proper venue to host them,” Kalita rues.

Building of a concert culture

The real test, however, lies not in drawing big names, but in nurturing a culture that can sustain them. Competition or not, professionals unanimously agree that Assam’s steepest challenge will be building the ecosystem around concerts — from venue experiences to crowd readiness.

A file image of Sarusajai Stadium in Guwahati. 

“It’s not just about the stage. The walks, the approaches, the neighbourhoods — everything needs to buzz with energy,” says Joi Barua. Cleanliness, infrastructure, and community engagement, he believes, are the building blocks of that spirit.

Wallang, too, insists the intent is there — “The Assam Chief Minister means well. It’s not like he just woke up one day and thought of this policy. He must have a plan.”

For Assam, the journey has only begun. But if the river of culture is allowed to flow freely — as Barua envisions with jazz in Dibrugarh or world music in Jorhat — the concert economy may just become a movement.