Metrosexual machismo — and cellos.
Early in their concert, the two musicians of 2Cellos paused while a backing track carried the song forward. At a regular orchestral concert, when the soloist pauses, the eye naturally wanders around the other instrumentalists, alighting on a horn player here or a violist there.
But when 2Cellos’ Luka Šulic and Stjepan Hauser took a breather, there was no one else to watch. Of course, in any case, the fans packing Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Monday wouldn’t have torn their eyes off the good-looking gents.
The men, who built a devoted following by playing pop and rock hits, have a good understanding that their looks are part of their appeal.
“I am very romantic,” pronounces Hauser, who hails from Croatia. “Are you romantic?” The females scream. “What a coincidence,” he purrs.
Šulic, a native of Slovenia who comes across as more serious than his bandmate, encourages the crowd: “You can flirt with Stjepan; he likes that.” Then, his punch line. “Only guys!” Oh, snap.
So are there any musical chops behind these pretty faces and their banal banter? Without a doubt. But to take their rock-star gimmickry as far as possible, they’re more than willing to sacrifice musicality.
Dynamics for the most part are loud, really loud and too loud. Phrasing comes and goes. But rock stars don’t need such de- tails. Not when they are making their hip, hollowedout cellos screech through a heavy-metal hit.
Sometimes it works: Back-to-back takes on “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Highway to Hell” both captured the essence of those songs while presenting them in a fresh light. But playing louder and faster sometimes just leads to noise.
Slower, softer numbers might be more traditional. But they also show that the guys have capabilities beyond shredding their bows. A cover of U2’s “With or Without You” gently percolates with the melody line building slowly and strongly. Sting’s “Shape of My Heart” also builds gracefully. And lest you think classical music is ignored, “Air on the G String” was given a lovely, almost delicate, treatment as the show’s finale.
Drummer Dusan Kranjc adds to the rock-concert vibe, and a mind-blowing, almost overpowering light show is worth the price of admission itself.
Musically, the show doesn’t always hit the mark. But it’s an impressively audacious display of metrosexual machismo.