A GLOBAL Bollywood music star says he can’t wait to perform at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena in front of thousands of adoring fans when making a rare appearance in the Midlands next month.
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan will be performing four hours of his greatest Qawwali hits on Friday (August 12) – over 30 years after visiting the city with his famous late uncle Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan as part of his 1985 tour.
The Pakistani singer has experienced a boom in sales in the past few months after releasing his latest tune Zahoori Ta, which has clocked up 100 million views on YouTube.
As well as stopping by at the Ricoh, the 42-year-old also visited Oxford University to receive an honorary shield and perform with music students in a 200-year-old music room.
Speaking at the Ricoh Arena on Tuesday (July 12) morning, Rahat said: “I’m really excited to have been given the opportunity to perform in front of my fans in the Midlands. People can expect a real showcase performance from me.
“For the first time ever, I’ll be performing in a new show format which no fans will have seen before – but I’m confident the Midlands crowd will be the best audience to catch the first glimpse.
“I visited the region a few years ago but a lot has changed since I last played in Coventry in 1985 as a young boy with my uncle – I’m aiming to follow in his footsteps and put on a great show for everybody.”
Over the past 20 years, the award-winning singer – who has over six million Facebook fans and 16 albums – has performed soundtracks for over 80 Bollywood films, including the biggest Indian film of this year, Sultan.
Andy Gibb, managing director of the Ricoh Arena, said: “Seeing Rahat Fateh Ali Khan perform in the Midlands is quite rare – we are incredibly privileged to be able to welcome another global icon to the Ricoh Arena.
“We’d love to be able to find some people who went to one of the Midlands concerts more than 30 years ago to hear about their memories and invite them along to see Rahat live.
“Tickets for this one-off performance are still available and we’re encouraging people to buy in advance to avoid disappointment on the day.”
Tickets are available from www.eticketing.co.uk/ricoharena or alternatively can be booked by calling the Ricoh Arena ticket office on 02476 786411.
