Apologies... i though you were ...

if you were at the Mezzoforte concert at the dewan filharmonik this evening, and you happened to be seated next to a smelly half bald punjabi guy in the greenest green shirt your unbelievably cultured eyes have had the misfortune of gazing half interestedly at, i want to extend my sincerest apologies... for i really, really thought you were dead. 

Because that is the only way i can explain to myself, your sitting almost absolutely still through the concert. I almost checked to see if you had a pulse, forgive me. thankfully i refrained as my attention was elsewhere. 

From the moment they stepped onto the stage, they were MAGNIFICENT. Absolutely wonderful. if you have heard Mezzoforte, you will know they are not Miles. Nor are the Joshua Redman, or Coltrane. There are times you need to listen to Miles, and Redman, and Coltrane,.... but there are also times when the soul is happy, when the work day is done, and you want to listen to something joyous and loud and funky and ... and so 'together'... that is when your heart is longing for Mezzoforte. 

And what a joyous sound they made!!! And oh how happy my heart felt ... so fullfilled, so so full with a happyness and an innocence that i am left speechless and flabbergasted. 

How can a simple band with simple tunes like Mezzoforte leave me so happy and ..and well, just happy as in child like happy (if you can remember that far back...)?? First and foremost they are a very very tight band. They know each other too well and the subconscious communication is very coherent. But mostly they know who they are... they know they are not Miles Davis, or Coltrane... but they make no apologies for their contribution to Jazz and funk and the spreading of happy music to make people like me happy. Apologies to my neighbour at the concert. You made not a move. At the end you got up and clapped, probably because everybody else did, and i soooo wanted to prod you to see if you were the consistency of clay. Forgive me.

Mezzoforte portrays an image to me when i saw them tonight on stage... they portrayed honesty, and joy and simple truths. And that to me, was more enduring than more pyro-producing artists i have had the good fortune of seeing live. All of the 6 members smiled honest sincere smiles throught the concert, they truly enjoyed each other's company, and playing their hearts out for us. 

But taking another angle on tonights concert... most members of the audience were clearly persons of means... they came well dressed and paid good money for their tickets to have a good time. But no one... like ...NO ONE moved much. And i was having a hard time not getting up and boogieing. While i admire such self restraint, i can't help but think.... it wasn't a 40 piece Orchestral band playing one of Faust's classical pieces to cry one's eye balls out,  for Chr**st sake, it was Mezzoforte. 
And if you cannot boogie down to Mezzoforte playing live in front of you full tilt... Please please get a check up... for you just might be dead. 

At the end of the concert people got up to leave, and i thought ''Ah.. they not be dead... they just be .....Malaysians???"

that 'bad' huh...?

Maybe it's just me CT-Boy... when i listen to nice funky happy jazz, i can't keep still even if my life depended on it. 

I'm just wondering how so many could for so long... almost 2 hour concert. Towards the end some folks did clap along, and we all stood to ask for an encore, (the band graciously came back to do one final number)... but even when the bass guitarist and drummer (both of them were the original members from the 70's, and were excellent) went into full tilt boogie mode, and i almost went bezerk, most people were happy to sit still, and perhaps they were doing a bit of arse boogie, just sitting there clenching and unclenching. I can't confirm the last statement though. 

If some one had taken out their mobile phone to check emails or play games out of boredom, i am pretty sure i would have broken down and cried, but thankfully no one did, not within my viewing range anyway. 

I am perhaps being too judgemental... but still... it makes me kind of wonder. Imagine going to a Harith Iskandar or Allan and Indy comedy and no one laughed out loud... everyone just sat and sniggered a little bit. 

Have we been programed to loose our human emotions here in the big city? Perhaps not... perhaps it was just the venue. 

Perhaps...

Yes....perhaps it was the venue?  But I did see quite a few ppl swinging in their seats from where I was sitting and quite some wolf calls too given the circumstances.  The sound engineer took a couple of tracks before he got the balance right and by the second half when they played their greatest hits I think the temperature in the hall had gone up a couple of notches! Bal, please do not fret as there were plenty more who enjoyed Mezzoforte last night swinging and rocking in their seats, me included. Cheers for bringing up this thread for those who didn't know what they missed.......

Thank goodness!!! some one else from our fine forum attends live shows!!!
 
Did you see Ottmar Leibert and Luna Nagra last week?? They were really really good as well.
 
I was in the stalls, row D... pretty much to the front. So could only see those in front of me and to my left and right. Thankfully you saw some joy from the peeps, some thing that warms my heart and gives me hope for all of us yet.
Oh my god I've become such a drama queen. Sigh.

Bal,

Good on ya mate and you lucky devil you   , you still can catch up with the concerts.. Unfortunately of late, I've missed a lot of concerts at the great Petronas Philly... 

Annoying and unbelievable performance is part of the local repertoire. Yep, once during a concert, a guy seated in front of me (and my better half) was flicking through and folding the newspaper he was reading throughout the first half of the performance. And doing so annoyingly so as if the get everyone's attention and to notice how bored he was...

Perhaps the empty seat next to him was the reason for his boredom  
Thank God he left after the intermission:cheers:  

But Bal, I enjoyed almost all of the concerts I've attended,... and on one particular concert, did have a ball   (pun intended ) and actually went on stage with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band when they performed there.. 

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many happy concerts to you Bal....

Seriously funny, sad but True!!

One of the best concerts ive ever attended was small almost unannounced... Hiromi The trio with Simon Philips on drums... my God he stole the show. So so good!!!

seem it's to late to apologies