Overall though, the PSL 2019 opening ceremony was a bit of a no-ball.
One day before the Pakistan Super League 2019 opening ceremony in Dubai, Pitbull pulled out. He was scheduled to perform as the international act of the year alongside (believe it or not) Boney M, Junoon, Aima Baig, Shuja Haider and Fawad Khan, who was performing the official PSL anthem with Young Desi. A last minute technical failure in Pitbull’s aircraft (an excuse akin to the dog that has eaten one’s homework) prevented him from making the trip, casting a somewhat grey shadow over the event. Resplendent fireworks may have salvaged the ceremony for a few moments but otherwise it lacked steam, even on a TV screen.
The lineup, for starters, was dated. Corporate sponsorships may convince Ali Azmat and Salman Ahmed to perform together every now and then, milking the Junoon brand to the max, but there is absolutely no chemistry or camaraderie between the two and old songs magic do not make. On the contrary, they tragically point at glory of day’s past. The same applies to Boney M. Why PSL management opted for the now defunct Boney M to perform is anyone’s guess. Only God knows what was going through their heads. Maybe this ceremony was an ode to the past, which is why even Aima Baig – who has enough new film tracks of her own - chose to sing Nazia Hassan songs.
It’s like nothing has happened in music in Pakistan in the last twenty years and that we have no new entertainers. That said, playback singers are not essentially performers, case in point being Shuja Haider.
Thankfully Fawad Khan did not perform old classics from his EP days but sang (okay, lip synced like everyone else) this year’s official PSL anthem, bringing some cricketainment to the stage. Looking better than ever, a fitter-than-ever, clean shaved and having shaken off the Maula Jatt baggage, Fawad Khan got the crowd going with his performance, which also featured Young Desi. Sadly, it wasn’t enough to save the day. Luckily, the opening ceremony lasted less than an hour.
