Behind the Scenes With V Play Music: Powering Badshah’s ‘Un-Finished Tour’ Across the U.S.

For fans, a concert often feels like a magical night where the lights, the sound, and the music align perfectly. But behind every dazzling performance lies months of preparation, collaboration, and an entire team working to deliver that spectacle. The ongoing “Un-Finished Tour” by Badshah, currently in its final stretch across the United States, is a case study in how Indian music is taking global live experiences to new heights.

While the spotlight naturally falls on Badshah—the rap icon behind some of India’s biggest hits—what makes this tour especially powerful is the carefully designed live sound. A big part of that energy comes from V Play Music (Virender Kumar), the Delhi-born guitarist whose riffs and solos transform familiar hits into arena-sized anthems.

Building a Global Hip-Hop Show

Badshah’s rise has been meteoric, but his music is not just about catchy hooks. It is about scale, innovation, and building connections across cultures. To translate his songs from the studio to live arenas like Curtis Culwell Center (Dallas) and NOW Arena (Chicago), the production team had to rethink everything—from sound design to stage layout.

Instead of relying solely on pre-recorded tracks, Badshah wanted the show to feel alive. That’s where live musicianship comes in. Bringing in a guitarist like V Play Music added the raw unpredictability of live rock shows to the polish of a hip-hop performance.

“The challenge is always to keep the essence of Badshah’s hits while making them sound bigger than ever,” one production insider shared. “With live guitar layered into the mix, the songs get that extra punch which the crowd feels in their bones.”

The U.S. run opened with strong momentum, marked by a standout evening in New Jersey, where Mickey Singh delivered a surprise performance. In Oakland, Punjabi rap icon Bohemia lit up the stage with his trademark style, while the Virginia show turned into a spectacle when Nora Fatehi joined Badshah, thrilling fans with her Bollywood flair. These appearances highlighted the cross-cultural collaborations that have become a defining feature of the tour.

The Guitarist Who Bridges Worlds

For Virender Kumar, better known as V Play Music, this tour is not his first global outing. In fact, he’s been part of several major international stages—among them the OVO Wembley Arena show in London (2024) and the Dubai Global Village concert (2019). But this U.S. run has been different.

Instead of being part of a multi-artist lineup, he’s become central to shaping the sound of one of India’s biggest solo tours abroad. His guitar is no longer just accompaniment; it’s part of the storytelling. When Badshah launches into “Jugnu” or “DJ Waley Babu”, Virender’s guitar reframes the song—sometimes with heavy riffs, other times with delicate melodies that give audiences something they never heard on the recorded track.

This blend of rap and live instrumentation is rare in Indian music tours, but it’s exactly what sets the Un-Finished Tour apart.

The Fans Make the Show

The energy in the arenas has been undeniable. At the Bay Area show earlier this month, fans described the performance as “a festival inside an arena.” When the lights dimmed and the opening beats dropped, thousands sang along word for word. And when the guitar solos cut through, many in the crowd responded with the kind of cheering usually reserved for rock concerts.

Badshah himself has often spoken about how much he values live connection. The tour isn’t just about delivering hits; it’s about creating memories. Whether in New Jersey’s Cure Arena or Seattle’s ShoWare Center, the crowd interactions have been as important as the setlist.

Why Dallas and Chicago Matter

As the tour heads into its last two shows—Dallas on September 19 and Chicago on September 20—there’s a sense of anticipation that goes beyond music. These cities represent cultural hubs for the South Asian diaspora. Dallas, with its vibrant Indian community, is expected to turn the Curtis Culwell Center into a sea of Punjabi beats and hip-hop energy. Chicago, home to the grand finale at the NOW Arena, will be the symbolic close of a tour that brought Indian pop-rap to the American mainstream stage.

For V Play Music, it also happens to align with his birthday week—a fitting coincidence for a musician whose journey has been defined by persistence and milestones.

Beyond the Tour: The Bigger Picture

Badshah’s Un-Finished Tour is more than just six concerts. It reflects a broader trend—Indian artists are no longer limited to niche ethnic events abroad. They are filling arenas, competing with international acts, and shaping a new identity for Indian music globally.

And for supporting artists like V Play Music, it’s validation that their craft has global demand. He is not just playing alongside a rapper—he is demonstrating that instrumental musicianship still has a powerful place in contemporary pop and hip-hop shows.

In an industry where DJs and backing tracks dominate, seeing a guitarist step forward is a refreshing reminder that live music thrives on human touch.

A Tour That Feels Unfinished, By Design

The name “Un-Finished Tour” itself hints at something bigger. For Badshah, it’s about acknowledging that his journey is ongoing, his art still evolving. For V Play Music, it’s about knowing that every stage, whether in London’s Wembley Arena or Chicago’s NOW Arena, is just another step in a career still being written.

When the lights go down in Chicago on September 20, the final chord won’t just close a tour—it will echo a promise. A promise that Indian hip-hop and live performance are only getting started, and that the “unfinished” story of artists like Badshah and V Play Music will continue on even larger stages worldwide.

Conclusion

Behind the roaring crowds and flashing lights of Badshah’s Un-Finished Tour lies a story of collaboration, reinvention, and ambition. By pairing rap with live guitar, by taking Indian music to arenas in the U.S., and by making each show feel larger than life, this tour has set a new standard.

Dallas and Chicago will mark the final stops, but as every fan who has attended knows—the journey is far from over.