All Rise for Blue: Shillong and Gangtok set to relive the 2000s beat

Shillong and Gangtok are about to relive the soundtrack of the early 2000s as the iconic British boy band Blue prepares to perform in the Northeast. 

For those who grew up during that era — before the age of streaming, social media, and viral reels — Blue was more than just a pop band; they were a feeling, a style, and a sound that defined a generation learning to fall in love with global pop culture.

While the band will perform in Shillong on December 11, they will take the stage in Gangtok on December 13 and Bengaluru on December 14.

Formed in London in 2000, Blue — made up of Duncan James, Simon Webbe, Lee Ryan, and Antony Costa — stormed the charts with a series of infectious hits like All Rise, One Love, If You Come Back, and Breathe Easy. Their signature mix of R&B-infused pop, smooth harmonies, and slick choreography made them instant heartthrobs. But beyond their chart success, Blue represented the peak of an era when music spread through tapes, CDs, and late-night music channels rather than clicks and algorithms.

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For many teenagers in India, especially in the early 2000s, tuning into Channel [V], MTV, or VH1 was a daily ritual. The glow of the television or the hum of a Walkman became a window to the wider world of Western pop. Blue’s videos — with their choreographed rooftop performances and cityscape aesthetics — offered a slice of aspiration, a blend of cool confidence and emotional honesty. Songs like Best in Me and U Make Me Wanna became secret dedications scribbled in diaries or shared on burnt CDs among friends.

In a time before smartphones, the music travelled slower but lived longer. The Walkman was a faithful companion, and every rewind button pressed on a cassette was an act of devotion. Blue’s sound — lush, romantic, and harmonically rich — resonated deeply with young listeners who were just discovering the language of love and friendship through music.

As the band takes the stage in Shillong and Sikkim, it’s more than a concert; it’s a revival of that collective nostalgia — of mixtapes and music countdowns, of posters on bedroom walls, and of a time when songs were cherished rather than streamed.

Blue’s arrival in the Northeast will not just bring back their timeless hits, but also the echoes of a simpler, purer connection to music — one where the beats of One Love united fans across continents long before the world was connected by Wi-Fi.