If you had asked me the day before yesterday, I would have told you I'm not really into concerts.
The music is too loud. There's too much commotion. It's too long.
But that was before my buddy Jackie Berroyer (who, let’s not forget, was a music columnist for Hara-Kiri) invited me to see Fat White Family last night at La Cigale. Never heard of them. I wasn’t expecting much. "You'll see, they're pretty good, you might like them," he said.
OK, now I get why people love concerts.
Incredible experience. Yes, the music was wild, hard-hitting rock with a sense of progression and some unexpected instruments (flute, baritone sax). Then there's the lead singer, Lias Saoudi. He's in shorts. By the second song, he's down in the pit singing in the middle of the crowd—setting the tone. For the rest of the concert, he sings (sometimes screams, but always in tune) balanced on amps, in a fetal position on the edge of the stage, or crowd-surfing.
From above, the pit pulses. It’s a collective experience. But you can tell it’s all masterfully controlled by a seasoned band: you catch the subtle, precise gestures the band members direct to the technicians; behind the wild personas are professionals who have crafted a structured and generous show. And the space of La Cigale, where you can move around freely, offers the freedom and intimacy to truly enjoy the experience.
I can see how people who’ve experienced this once can become concert junkies, chasing that initial high. And why some old-timers endlessly reminisce about a show they saw in their youth: "Oh, you know, when I saw that band back in '76..."
"A concert like that, you remember it for the rest of your life," Jackie told me as we walked out. Yup, probably.
