Punjabi singer sells out Rogers Arena; concert a celebration of Punjabi culture, community

A Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh sells out Rogers Arena Sunday, June 19. (Courtesy Diljit Dosanjh/Instagram with credit: gvisualss)

By Tarnjit Parmar

Posted June 20, 2022 10:33 pm.

Last Updated June 20, 2022 10:36 pm.

A Punjabi superstar has hit a milestone at Rogers Arena over the weekend.

Diljit Dosanjh kicked off his ‘Born to Shine’ tour in Vancouver on Sunday evening, becoming the first Indian artist to perform at Rogers Arena.

On top of that, Dosanjh managed to sell out the entire arena.


Randip Janda with Sportsnet 650 and Hockey Night in Punjabi was one of the 19,000 audience members in attendance.

“The significance of Diljit Dosanjh is multi-pronged. He’s a very versatile star who really got started being a Punjabi singer and then went to Bollywood and became,” he says. “What we’ve seen in the last couple of years is he’s been a spokesperson and an activist, somebody who speaks for his community.”

“Diljit Dosanjh is somebody who is a proud Punjabi who reps his community and he does it in music. He does it in acting, and he stays true to himself,” Janda adds. “It was a really, really exciting thing for people outside of India to see because he doesn’t perform very often. It’s been a couple of years since he was performing live due to COVID. There was a lot of enthusiasm in Vancouver as a result of that. I would say he’s one of the top five artists in India right now. That’s how big he is, coming to Vancouver and selling out all of Rogers Arena.”


He says the show was a meaningful display of Punjabi music and community.

“By the time the show started, there was not a seat to be seen that was empty. More than anything I think it was a celebration of the Punjabi culture here in Vancouver,” Janda says. “It’s one of the epicenters of the diaspora outside of India, and we’ve known this regenerations. It was really, really cool to see.”

“But it was really also a moment of celebrating an artist that has had a huge rise over the last decade in the community, not only in India, but also across the world.”


The long-awaited concert drew out a massive crowd, with some people travelling from across the province to attend. And that was reflected in the crowd on Sunday night, with people of all ages enjoying the show.

“I know a lot of folks from the western United States that made this trip as well to make a weekend out of it.”


Dosanjh also acknowledged the death of fellow Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, who was shot and killed in India late last month.

“Sidhu Moose Wala who is a huge artist, unfortunately, was murdered last month. So there was a really touching moment at the beginning of this concert where they paid respect to him, but also shined a light on what’s going on in India,” Jandha says. “It was just a positive way of just looking at the situation and saying there’s a lot, we need to pay respect to the folks that have lost their lives. It was a positive event, but also a very meaningful event because it did touch on topics that were very fresh and sensitive for a lot of the community.”

During the concert, Dosanjh also addressed the crowd, saying “the Punjabi community, we are one. We should support each other since there are so many things that try to divide us.”


Janda adds that the message of unity was a strong theme throughout the concert, as well as pride in the community.

“I think that’s where one of the things that really resonates with Diljit’s music is that he is somebody that is so proud of where he comes from. This community and having worked with Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi, it’s a celebration of where you are,” he says.

“Whether you’re in North America, Europe, it doesn’t matter. There’s a common bond that brings us all together. This is a community that is very proud of its background, especially given the Punjabi population here in Vancouver, Surrey and Abbotsford.”

As for Dosanjh being the first Indian artist to perform at a larger venue, Janda says he hopes to see more of this in the future.

“I remember the days where there would be smaller venues where artists would be struggling to get people there. Maybe the venues didn’t believe artists of ethnic backgrounds could sell smaller venues. This moment of Diljit Dosanjh selling out Rogers Arena is not only shining a light on the Punjabi community, but also other communities as well. This is a moment companies are looking at more than the top 40 charts and saying these are vibrant communities, and we can celebrate who we are by bringing in different artists with different backgrounds.”


Diljit Dosanjh also is an actor with many of his films shot around B.C.

He’s set to perform in Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto over the next week as part of his tour.

(Courtesy Diljit Dosanjh/Instagram with credit: gvisualss)

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