It isn’t every day that you get to see Sajjad Ali live in concert in Lahore. The launch of Kayseria’s Loyalty Card Program, held recently at the gorgeously lit Faletti’s hotel, was one such rare occasion for the Lahorites.

As the accomplished singer, who is now based in Dubai, appeared on the stage, he was greeted with thunderous claps by the audience comprising some of the city’s best-known faces -- musicians (one saw Symt’s Haroon Shahid), TV show hosts (Huma Amir Shah), fashion celebrities (Ali Xeeshan, Khawar Riaz, Fia etc) -- all of whom were glued to their seats through the entire length of the concert which did last over an hour and half.

Sporting a ponytail with black denims and a jet-black shirt to match, Sajjad Ali looked cool and casual as he strode down the ramp (which had been set up for the small fashion segment that preceded the concert), humming into the mike the melody of ‘Yaad toh aati ho gi,’ one of his more popular love songs. It got him an instant cheer from the crowd.

The soft number gave way to the peppy ‘Yeh jaadu chal gya hai.’ Being a trained voice, Sajjad Ali can play with scales like no other contemporary pop artiste can. It was this skill that was on profuse display at the concert -- and the most uplifting.

The singer picked up crescendo with ‘Paaniyon pe,’ a beat-based track that had everyone tapping their feet. He also enjoyed having fun with the audience, forcing them to chorus along on his chartbusters from the 1990s -- ‘Babia’ and ‘Chief saab’.

Perhaps, the most popular numbers of the night were ‘Sohni lag di’ and his Coke Studio gem ‘Kirkir’.