Singers, Song-Writers, Sustainable Concerts, and Solidarity!
No need to remind you of the terrible Klaus tempest ( 24/01/09) which has destroyed 2/3 of our regional but European wide famous pine-tree forest, but the irresistible need to tell you about the wonderful breeze that breathed over the arena in Dax, 2 days ago, when one of our best singer, song-writer, and music composer Francis Cabrel offered an amazing concert to us. And funny as it was in our row… students happened to be sitting next to former teachers… and were astounded to see them singing like them, and appreciating young singers as much as confirmed ones!
Indeed the concert also first starred2 rising stars like the French singer Guillo ( who was born in Dax), and the Basque singer Daguerre ( born in Bayonne and so very close to the Spanish boarder, and at the core of the Basque country which has 7 provinces, 3 in France, and 4 in Spain… all the people speaking a very specific language that no scientist has managed to track down in terms of origins). Daguerre managed like Guillo to get all the audience sing, and more especially with a very famous Basque song entitled ‘ Hegoak’ which deals with a bird who doesn’t want to remain a prisoner of his cage, but desperately looks for freedom, and last but not least, the third guest was the Welsh singer, song-writer and composer… MICHAEL JONES!!! Who had truly started to become famous in France when he used to sing with Jean-Jacques Goldman, another French singer who is regarded as one of the best song-writer and composer, too!
Both Cabrel andGoldman don’t simply write and compose songs, but they write ‘poems’ about life, and they always compose their music for them and other stars ( French or even English speaking ones, too), and Cabrel set up a school many years ago, where young new musicians come to exchange ideas, their experience, their sense of music or skill at singing, but this has nothing to do with the ‘Pop Schools ‘ that you can see on TV!!!!
So 2 days ago, we attended a masterpiece concert, with all the simplicity and humility of Francis Cabrel, along with his subtle sense of humour and fun, as well as comedy - which are part of his sense of performing on stage and in front of huge audiences.
He both performed ‘old’ songs ( he started singing very young…32 years ago and he’s now in his early 50’s, immidiately releasing from the very beginning smashing hits that are now standards ), as well as very recent ones, all of them with new , musically speaking, arrangements, thanks to the amazing technique and skills of his musicians who performed many different instruments like accordions or double basses, on top of electric guitars, maraccas, or drums of course!
The concert which was dedicated to raise funds, to cope with the damages caused by the Klaus tempest, ended with a standing ovation in an arena which was full of mesmerized people living and sharing a unique experience, after singing in tune each singer’s standards or new songs, and in the end with all the musicians and singers on stage for…standards of the Beatles!
The concert started at 8.30 p.m. and ended at 12 p.m. !The singers and musicians will not get any money or wages, they sang or performed for free; the audience paid their ticket 27 euros each to attend that special concert, and prestigious sustainable moment, and so they will do their best now to try and look forward to their future, the future of our region, our forest, our economy, or individual problems at stake due to the subsequent damages of the Klaus tempest.
SO EYEBLOGGERS, have you heard of anything of the kind in your respective countries and regions? And what do you think about this idea: Singers/Song-writers/Sustainable concerts and Solidarity? TELL US!!!