On the spur of the moment, Inna purchased two tickets to Angélique Kidjo's concert at Stanford's Bing Hall, for Saturday, April 25, at 20:00.
Before the concert, we stopped by for dinner at the newly opened Zaytinya Palo Alto (Mediterranean Restaurant).
Right before dinner, we learned of a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. It made us a bit anxious at dinner, and we were happy to learn that the shooter was apprehended and the president was safe.
When we arrived, we were assigned to some unfavorable seats and asked to be reseated. After waiting 5 minutes, we were reseated in a booth that was not well cleaned, so I had to manually remove crumbs from the couch (not something I was expecting to do).
We looked at the menu and ordered the following items:
- Drinks: Sparkling water
- Appetizer: Baba Ghannouge
- Salad: Fattoush
- Mezze: Sea Scallops, Shish Taok, Kofte Kebab
- Dessert: Greek Yogurt
The Baba Ghannouge was not bad. The Fattoush salad was small but tasty. The Mezze were tiny, and the sea scallops were smaller than expected. The Shish Taok (chicken) was not bad. The freshly baked pita bread was delicious. We also really liked the Greek Yogurt dessert.
Overall, I would rate Zaytinya above average, though Palo Alto has much better Mediterranean restaurants (like Evvia and Dishdash). I was disappointed with the dirty couch I had to manually clean and the tiny portions of everything. On the positive note, our waitress was excellent.
After reparking near Bing Hall (about 5 minutes away), we waited for Angélique Kidjo's concert to start. In addition to Angelique, there were 4 other band members:
- Bass: David Donatien
- Drums: Stixx Taylor
- Keyboards: Etienne Stadwijk
- Percussion: Magatte Sow
There was no guitar, and I felt that the band was missing something. Inna and I were hoping to hear some recognizable songs, but Angeliue's program did not include many songs that we recognized. We felt a bit disappointed with her choice of songs.
Here is a ChatGPT summary of Angelique Kidjo:
Angélique Kidjo Concert Review (with Setlist & Band Members)
There are performers who entertain, and then there are those who seem to summon something larger than themselves onto the stage. Angélique Kidjo belongs firmly in the latter category. From the moment she appeared—radiant, poised, and already moving to an internal rhythm—the atmosphere shifted from anticipation to celebration.
Kidjo’s voice is a force of nature: elastic, powerful, and deeply expressive. She moves effortlessly between silky, intimate passages and soaring, full-throated declarations, often within the same phrase. What’s striking is not just her technical control, but the emotional immediacy she brings to every note. Even listeners unfamiliar with the languages she sings in can feel the intent behind each lyric.
The setlist drew broadly from her expansive catalog, weaving together Afrobeat, traditional West African sounds, funk, jazz, and Latin influences. Rather than feeling eclectic for its own sake, the mix felt intentional—each song another thread in a tapestry reflecting both her Beninese roots and global collaborations.
Setlist (Representative Performance)
- Batonga
- Agolo
- Afrika
- Once in a Lifetime (Talking Heads cover)
- Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) (Talking Heads cover)
- Ominira
- Djin Djin
- Eve
- Afirika
- We We
- Adouma
- Pata Pata (tribute to Miriam Makeba)
Encore:
13. Afirika (Reprise) / Celebration JamThe band deserves special mention. Tight, dynamic, and completely in sync with Kidjo’s energy, they elevated every arrangement without ever overshadowing her presence. Rhythms were intricate but never cluttered; grooves locked in with precision and warmth, pulling the audience deeper into the music.
Band Members (Typical Touring Lineup)
- Bass: David Donatien
- Drums: Stixx Taylor
- Keyboards: Etienne Stadwijk
- Percussion: Magatte Sow
What truly sets Kidjo apart is her connection with the audience. She doesn’t perform at a crowd—she performs with them. Midway through the show, she stepped off the stage and moved through the audience, singing and dancing among them, dissolving any remaining distance between artist and listener. It felt authentic, not theatrical—an extension of her belief that music is communal.
Her spoken interludes added depth without disrupting momentum. She spoke about unity, resilience, and the cultural power of music with clarity and conviction, grounding the performance in something larger than entertainment—yet never losing the sense of joy that defines her work.
By the time the encore arrived, the room was electric. Kidjo closed with a performance that was exuberant, rhythmically fierce, and emotionally resonant, leaving the audience both energized and grounded.
In an era when many concerts feel overly polished or distant, Angélique Kidjo offers something rare: immediacy, vitality, and genuine human connection. This wasn’t just a concert—it was a shared celebration of rhythm, voice, and spirit.
Angelique Kidjo Concert Review
Highlights
- Angelique showed a lot of energy and enthusiasm
Lowlights
- Not many recognizable songs
- All the songs sounded the same
Links
- Bing Concert Hall, Stanford, Palo Alto
- Angelique Kidjo
- Zaytinya Palo Alto (restaurant)
0 comments:
Post a Comment