It has been a few years since I have enjoyed so many evenings out to enjoy the theatre, live music and exhibitions. Busy schedules and then the pandemic conspired to keep us away from the cultural highlights in the city and surrounding area but we seem, in recent months, to have begun to make up for past absence. With friends who have recently moved to the city we have enjoyed a mix of music, dance, drama and art at various venues. Last week we were lucky to get tickets to see the inimitable Angelique Kidjo, Beninese singer and Grammy winner.
Not only were we entertained with a great mix of Afropop, jazz, Latin and Caribbean music, Kidjo put her whole being into her performance. She danced and delivered her songs, including Mother Earth which won her 5th Grammy, across the full area of the stage not occupied by her band. She even managed to get the enthusiastic audience on their feet.
I often complain that many Scottish audiences of a certain vintage display an unfortunate presbyterian restraint in their enjoyment of entertainment. They may, reluctantly, be persuaded to clap their hands, even to stand while doing so but it is rare that a seated audience can be persuaded to get up and dance enthusiastically in the aisles. I have enjoyed many musical treats, including the Blind Boys of Alabama and The Buena Vista Social Club, who have succeeded in enticing an audience to its feet to clap along politely but I have rarely witnessed the exuberance that Kidjo coaxed from her audience. The clapping and vague shuffling of feet gave way to whooping and unrestrained (and occasionally unrhythmic) dancing as Kidjo worked her audience into a very un-Calvinistic passion. The evening was more reminiscent of a Southern Revivalist Christian church service than a Scottish concert and my heart soared at the possibility that a local audience could get beyond politely restrained appreciation, especially for such a great performer as Kidjo.
Significantly Different 