October 2021: After almost two years without concerts, due to the restrictive measures for the coronavirus, the first concerts that would take place during Spring and Summer of 2022 in Greece are announced. One of the first names to be announced: Dead Can Dance, with two concerts, one in Athens and one in Thessaloniki for May 2022.
Remember: it's still October and the measures are in place even though it seemed they would still last for a long time.
But would that prevent us, me and my partner from booking tickets to enjoy one of our favorite bands?
Of course not. As soon as they were made available to the public, I and my partner booked seats directly.We wanteed to have first row seats. And let everyone call us crazy for booking tickets so early. The only thing I had concern about was that the concert would take place at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, because it seemed strange to me to watch a concert sitted.
It is written in Greek: Dead Can Dance-Thessaloniki Concert Hall,
Saturday, 21-05-2022, 21:00
Fast forward to the present! 21/5/2022, Saturday. The end of a very tiring week that did not seem to relax at all, but we were determined to see the concert at all costs, even though we were so tired that I personally feared I would fall asleep in the seat.
However, as we approached the building, I was captivated by the space. Although it has been built relatively recently, it is a jewel for the city. A huge modern building that, however, blended harmoniously with the landscape by the sea.
From the entrance you could already see its luxurious construction, to the point that I felt that I was probably very simply dressed in my Tshirt and trousers. Entering the combination of marble, wood, metal and glass, despite the coldness of their materials made a whole warm, ready to welcome the viewer.
There is a piano in the foyer of the Concert Hall, waiting for you to play
But what impressed me the most was the main hall, where the concert would take place. The wood should dominate, harmoniously tied with the blue color that was spread in the space. On stage everything was ready for the concert. The backdrop with autumn leaves, the instruments ready set up.
And the people gathered, a diverse mix of people.
But when the lights went out and Lisa Gerrard started singing, we all fell silent. Because when you hear such a range of voice, this unique fairy with her angelic contralto voice interpreting with such emotion you can do nothing else. You are enchanted, she remains silent and you enter the dreamy paths that she opens with her voice.
And if you observe her enough, you will notice that when it sings sometimes it looks far back, as if it sees magical melodic worlds that you can not see yet.
And Brendan Perry, her collaborator at Dent Can Dans, begins with his song guiding you to them. A solid voice with an earthy stage presence, it is the contrast to the airy Lisa that makes this combination of Lisa and Brendan unique.
This is the only photo I took during the concert. I was so mesmerized that I forgot to take any more pictures.
I do not know what to say about the concert. Should I talk about the great musicians who accompanied them, or about the master Brendan who changed comfortably between the musical instruments (he even played the bouzouki),or the setting that blended perfectly with the music. I honestly have no words.
It was two hours full of music. Our senses were filled with music. Our eyes filled with music and tears because we were so moved in some songs with Lisa's voice overwhelming us and bringing tears of emotion to our eyes.
And as much as I complained at first about the hall, it was the best choice. The acoustics of the place were so amazing that you felt like you are on stage with the band.
It was one of the most amazing music concerts I have ever been to. I did not want it to end with anything. And no matter how tired we were, it filled our batteries, gave us energy for this difficult work week.
Dead Can Dance's music, the mastery of Brendan and the charisma of Lisa, goes beyond borders, beyond history, beyond time.
It is music for the soul!
P.S. During the concert, no video was allowed, that why I included in my post songs from the playlist that night.
All photos were taken by me with the help of my trustworthy (but oldie) mobile phone, except the ones stated differently. The video clips were taken from youtube.
Thank you for reading!