Braving the wind, rain, and the foul BC Ferries’ food to get to Vancouver, NLG’s latest musical outing was to see the Playing For Change band. For the ill-informed, Playing For Change is the brainchild of a sound engineer called Mark Johnson who, after seeing a moving performance by a talented street musician in Atlanta, went around the world asking various street artists to collaborate on music, on such immortal songs as “Stand By Me” and “One Love”. Ingenious editing originally brought the music together in the form of videos; now we have the privilege of seeing some of the musicians collaborate live as the Playing For Change band.
Street musicians they are, however these are not just a bunch of homeless buskers. This is a (afrocentric) United Nations of perversely-talented musicians who made Serge feel like he died and went to musical heaven, and was now witnessing their last performance before the Armageddon. Naturally, NLG was front row, and close enough to feel the blasts from Clarence Bekker and Titi Tsira’s colossal vocals and get damp feet from the rivers of sweat pouring from the band’s euphonious bones. The three hours of non stop music covered African soul shakers, a cover of Don’t Worry that induced a dance battle between Titi and Mermans Kenkosenki that threatened to reverse the earth’s rotation, and an insane jam-cover of Billie Jean that involved a solo performance by each of the ten musicians including Grandpa Elliot bustin’ some dance moves with his harmonica. Voodoo brought Don’t Worry back near the end of the show with a gender battle of chanting led by Titi’s pure and true chords, which started from a shocking acapella rendition of Linda Perry’s “What’s Up” by Clarence Bekker. The music, the message, and the love present at the Commodore that night served up what was described by Serge’s mother as “the most positive musical experience”. Well said, Mom.
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