Saturday night finally rolled around as I began to get excited about Balkan Beat Box’s Chan Centre performance. I arrived at 7:46 pm at the Chan Centre, more eager than ever, and armed with my trusty camera I entered the theatre area. The lower seats were filled up but I sat on the balcony level which is also where the band unexpectedly made their first appearance. They played and marched across and down onto the stage, and the magic began.
Calling it magic is no exaggeration – what they achieved was no less than mass dionysia. The six performers played clarinet, two tenor saxes, two bass guitars, two percussion sets, keyboard, and their vocalist dabbled on a mixer. The chaotic melody of the lilting saxes was urged on by the strong steady rhythm of the percussion. The exotic music was intoxicating, a blend of the urban and the mystical.
Everywhere in the audience, people could not help but sway and rock and many got up from their seats and filled the dark aisles all the way to the back of the house with diverse forms of dance. People of all ages were dancing in their own way. I saw head bobbing and hip swaying, twisting and even some form of ballroom, and I thought to myself this is exactly what they are about. There is something powerful about closing your eyes and hearing such a huge number of people clap in complete unison to the same beat. The Chan Centre seemed an unlikely venue for the band’s lively performance; I have always associated it with classical music performances (it is even shaped like the body of a classical string instrument for acoustic purposes). The audience, however, did not let the chairs interfere with their dancing.
The band ended their performance to riotous cheers and even those who had remained seated rose for a standing ovation. Vocalist Tomer Yosef thanked the audience and the band exited the stage, but the audience clapped and cheered until they returned for an encore, which was greeted with even louder applause. Sadly, I admit I had to leave early, during the second song of the encore, but on the way out I bought one of the two CD’s which were on sale there – Nu*Med, their newer one. My new favourite and highly recommended song: Digital Monkey.
All in all a smashing performance and I was super impressed and excited to hear something so fresh. The one inhibitor of my experience was my isolation up on the balcony. I wish that the venue had been different and more suited for dancing. In conclusion, thank you Balkan Beat Box for coming to Vancouver!
PS: The band member who played both the sax and the clarinet had the same shoes as me. I think that means I’m cool.
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This entry was posted on Sunday, March 2nd, 2008 at 3:37 pm and is filed under Arts, City, Culture, Events, Music, Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Great review! I couldn’t agree more with you more about the magic of the music. You shoulda come down from the balcony and danced with the crowds that were maneuvering around the seats… Next time we bring screwdrivers??
Yona — you are so right about the screwdrivers, and ya, I think you’ve got the best kit for these things.
Britt — ya, i noticed those shoes and indeed you are both totally cool. As was the review.
Indeed the last show I saw at the Chan was Schuman & Beethoven’s Piano Sonata’s and the like — so ya, I’m stunned to have danced at such a formal and pompous venue also.
woot!