It’s been five years since A.R. Rahman put together a tour of the United States. In that time, he’s been more than a touch busy: He’s created from scratch or contributed to more than 20 film soundtracks in multiple languages (including “127 Hours” and “Million Dollar Arm” and “People Like Us”), he’s created music for the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics and he’s even been a part of a short-lived supergroup with Mick Jagger, Damian Marley, Dave Stewart and Joss Stone.
But now that he’s back, what can people expect from his on-the-nose titled “The Intimate Concert Tour”? Here are a few of the specific songs with which you might be the most familiar (and be the most likely to see performed):
“Jai Ho”
Guaranteed to get the biggest reaction, “Jai Ho,” from “Slumdog Millionaire,” won Rahman both an Oscar and a Grammy, while spawning hundreds of dance videos and cover versions on the Internet. Just hope is that he won’t invite the Pussycat Dolls onstage to “perform” their English-language cover version.
“Chaiyya Chaiyya”
The song from 1998’s “Dil Se ” was a massive hit in India, crossed over to the United Kingdom (BBC’s World Service declared it one of the world’s top 10 songs of all time in 2002) and has made appearances in television shows like “CSI: Miami” and films like “Inside Man.” It briefly re-entered the Billboard World Digital Songs top 25 in February, 17 years after its release.
“O … Saya”
“Jai Ho” may have won the Academy Award, but it wasn’t the only song nominated from “Slumdog Millionaire.” Featuring M.I.A., “O…Saya” also cracked the Billboard Hot 100
“If I Rise”
The hit from Rahman’s soundtrack to “127 Hours,” Dido featured on the version used in the film, but it was Florence Welch (of Florence + the Machine) who performed it alongside the composer at the Oscars. It lost to Randy Newman’s “We Belong Together,” because the Oscars can’t have nice things.
If you go: A.R. Rahman performs at the Beacon Theatre Thursday at 8 p.m., 2124 Broadway, 212-465-6500, $45-$179.
