Singers enthral Sharjah crowds
SHARJAH: The 2020 season of Al Majaz Amphitheatre’s #letsmajaz witnessed a spellbinding pair of performances by Marcel Khalife and Souad Massi. The two musical stalwarts from Lebanon and Algeria, respectively, swept the enthusiastic crowds off their feet with a live performance packed with the region’s musical heart and soul.
The concert marked the 79th birth anniversary of award-winning poet and author, Mahmoud Darwish, who was famously hailed as Palestine’s national poet.
Algerian singer-songwriter, Massi, delivered her first Sharjah concert on March 13, 2020. She opened with the song “Oumniya” from her eponymous new album, which was released last November. Her eloquence and uncompromising flair in dealing with themes of love and betrayal were lapped up by fans as she presented new renditions of her songs, “Hayati” followed by “Deb.”
Souad picked up rhythm and tempo in the song “Kol Youm,” which she furthered singing “Pays Natale” in French, touching listeners with the song’s literary and social discourse of pain and exile.
Massi continued to enthral her fans audience with a repertoire of Algerian folk songs like “Talat Ala Al Beer” and “Theghri” – a call for unity in the Berber language. Penned by Souad’s mother, this was the first time in 17 years since “Theghri” was released in her album “Deb,” that she performed it live. Massi also performed “Ýa Kalbi,” followed by “Dar Djiddi” dedicated to her grandfather, before going on to “Salam,” which she sang in Egyptian dialect, and followed it with “Nwaseek Ya Kalbi.”
The Arab rock stalwart and her band led by Rabeh Khalifa brought the audience to their feet with her final performance of the evening, “Ya Raoui.”
Massi and her band thanked the Al Majaz Amphitheatre management for offering her a world-class platform in Sharjah to connect with her UAE and Arab fans and for the opportunity to popularise Algerian folklore and musical heritage.
Marcel Khalife opened his performance with an ode to his friend, the late Mahmoud Darwish.
The Lebanese Oud maestro returned to the Al Majaz Amphitheatre stage after four years, starting his set with a poem by renowned Lebanese poet Talal Haydar, and then a rich tribute to his friend, the late Darwish, by describing how his works had a strong influence in shaping Khalifa’s musical career.