Put on hold this year, Joy Bangla Concert celebrated by bands with online content

Alternative rock band Shunno and heavy metal band Cryptic Fate who performed in Joy Bangla Concert in previous years are paying tribute to the event online since the concert is put to a halt this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"We will release a song virtually aligned with Joy Bangla Concert. We will also present a visual highlighting the best moments of our performances in the previous years starting from 2015," said Emil of the band Shunno. 

Joy Bangla Concert, based on the theme of the Father of the Nation's historic March 7 speech, is the first of its kind in the country as no other event blended history with music so adeptly.

"Thanks to Centre for Research and Information (CRI), this concert is connecting youths with the country's glorious past. Their selection of bands and the environment won every heart," he said.

Another band Cryptic Fate also took to their official Facebook page, writing, "Here's an acoustic, raw rendition of Cholo Bangladesh to celebrate the Joy Bangla concerts on 7th March and 50 years of Bangladesh!"

This year the concert is put to a halt as the pandemic has not yet been fully eradicated. But, it will come back "bigger and louder" the next year, said Radwan Mujib Siddiq, a trustee of CRI, a non-profit research organisation.

To compensate for the halt of the event, there will be some virtual programmes, said the organisers.

A short audiovisual highlighting the best moments of the concerts in previous years will be posted on the Facebook page of Young Bangla. It will also be relayed from the Facebook pages of different media outlets on the evening of March 7.

Besides, two interactive discussions with representatives from the bands, which performed regularly in the concert, and from the organisers will be aired on Channel 24 at 8:30 pm and Gaan Bangla at 8:00 pm on the same day.

Rolled out in 2015, Joy Bangla Concert has been a household name in the country's music industry and a part of the youth pop culture, blending the patriotic melodies composed during the Liberation War of Bangladesh with contemporary songs.