Marcel Khalife in Detroit

I've been a fan of Marcel ever since I heard the first song, for obvious reasons. Other than being the premiere Lebanese folk singer, composer, musician, he just seems to represent everything I hope for in an artist; integrity, progress, creativity, ethics, human concerns, political awareness and so on. many people hear his songs or his music and get transported to a better time or place where nostalgia overtakes the melancholy. There is the sound of a timid hopefulness that most Arab's hear and it goes on long after the song.



The concert at Orchestra Hall was good, but it did seem a bit odd. He wasn't with his usual ensemble or Al Mayadine or Omayma or anyone else you'd recognize. He was playing with Kristjan Jarvi's Absolute Ensemble. They were pretty good, but it seemed that Marcel was their guest and it was not his concert. He only sang one full song, three total.



The Hall was not as posh as I thought and the sound engineering seemed lazily prepped for the concert. The acoustics seemed pretty bad as well. It could have been just my perception, and my one faulty ear, but it didn't sound right.
And the energy was not there as if it was a dress rehearsal and Marcel was going through the motions. Sure he was still great and the ensemble was very good at times, but not what I expected. Maybe it was his age...or maybe it was mine.



Perhaps it was the latest controversy that surrounded his music, or maybe even the extensive travel burdens and being detained at every port. Whatever the reasons for this being less magical than past performances, it was magical none-the-less and I'm glad to have been able to see him again.