Was giving this some thought the other day and for me there's one that stands out head and shoulders above the rest in terms of the music and vibe and just feeling so lucky to be there. After the Buena Vista Social Club album and Wim Wenders film made such a big impression, the band toured under the name Afro-Cuban All Stars. I'd just bought the A Toda Cuba Le Gusta album, loved it, and then saw they were doing a London gig at the Jazz Cafe in Camden. Not sure of the date but probably early 1998.
Perhaps because more people were familiar with BVSC name, and their worldwide popularity was yet to materialise I think a lot of their new fans didn't realise it was them. The Jazz Cafe is one of my favourite venues, it has its problems like anywhere but being small keeps it intimate, not claustrophobic. At what other major venue can you get a drink at the bar, walk 4 paces and be standing right in front of the stage? While more intimate in terms of closeness to the performers it feels more spacious than somewhere like Ronnie Scots.
Anyway.. so I didn't know what to expect- a lot of the crowd were young and latin-american looking, possibly Cuban ex-pats, and there was a real buzz in the air, a feeling of expectation. Then the band took the stage, all 13 of them, looking dapper and cool, and then... well from the first note the place went mental and they tore it up for well over two hours, I think they played both albums. The average age on stage must've been over 70 but they hardly broke into a sweat, the sound was excellent, the musicianship amazing, by the end of the night the crowd was an exhausted mess but the All Stars looked like they could go on all night.
In terms of the power of music to make a crowd feel happy, it couldn't have been more apparent. I've been to a lot of live music and had some wonderful musical experiences over the years, but I don't think I'll ever top that one.
How about you?
Perhaps because more people were familiar with BVSC name, and their worldwide popularity was yet to materialise I think a lot of their new fans didn't realise it was them. The Jazz Cafe is one of my favourite venues, it has its problems like anywhere but being small keeps it intimate, not claustrophobic. At what other major venue can you get a drink at the bar, walk 4 paces and be standing right in front of the stage? While more intimate in terms of closeness to the performers it feels more spacious than somewhere like Ronnie Scots.
Anyway.. so I didn't know what to expect- a lot of the crowd were young and latin-american looking, possibly Cuban ex-pats, and there was a real buzz in the air, a feeling of expectation. Then the band took the stage, all 13 of them, looking dapper and cool, and then... well from the first note the place went mental and they tore it up for well over two hours, I think they played both albums. The average age on stage must've been over 70 but they hardly broke into a sweat, the sound was excellent, the musicianship amazing, by the end of the night the crowd was an exhausted mess but the All Stars looked like they could go on all night.
In terms of the power of music to make a crowd feel happy, it couldn't have been more apparent. I've been to a lot of live music and had some wonderful musical experiences over the years, but I don't think I'll ever top that one.
How about you?