Guwahati, Dec 9 (IANS) Celebrated playback icon Sonu Nigam is set to open his Deewana Tera Tour in Guwahati on December 14, marking his first-ever solo concert in the city, an official statement said on Tuesday.

Though he has performed across India and the world for over three decades, his only previous appearance in Guwahati was at an awards ceremony years ago – the same stage he shared with the late music legend Zubeen Garg, a memory he says remains “irreplaceable” in his life, the statement mentioned.

Speaking ahead of the tour, Nigam said his decision to begin the concert series in Guwahati is both emotional and deliberate. The city, he noted, holds personal resonance because of Zubeen Garg, whose passing left a profound void in the Indian music fraternity.

Recalling the public outpouring of grief in Assam, Nigam said he was deeply moved by the collective love and reverence accorded to Zubeen, calling it something “unseen anywhere else.”

Nigam added that his bond with Assam transcends performance circuits. He praised the people of the state for their warmth, sincerity and emotional generosity, even remarking that if he had the chance to be born again, “Assam would be my choice.”

With this backdrop, the Guwahati concert is expected to be more than a tour opener – a reflective, intimate evening shaped by nostalgia, connection and gratitude.

The Northeast has emerged in recent years as one of India’s most vibrant cultural and live-music hubs.

Large-format concerts in Assam and Meghalaya have attracted national audiences, strengthened tourism flows and created new creative-sector livelihoods. Industry observers now describe the region as an “emerging concert economy,” driven by its natural landscapes, energetic youth culture and high audience engagement.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has echoed this optimism, recently stating that he hopes to invite global pop star Shakira to perform in Guwahati in the coming years.

He emphasised that India’s growing concert culture is reshaping cities into centres of creativity and cited Meghalaya’s festival ecosystem as a regional model. The natural setting of the Northeast, he said, offers artists a distinctive performance environment unmatched elsewhere.

Following the Guwahati launch, the ‘Deewana Tera Tour’ will travel to Indore, Jaipur and Lucknow. Nigam will present a specially curated set of his most popular songs. Yet it is the Guwahati performance, rooted in memory, affection and tribute, that promises to stand apart as the tour’s most emotionally resonant evening.

–IANS

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