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Attended the annual WOMAD (which stands for World of Music, Arts & Dance, in case you have been living in a black hole) at Fort Canning Green last evening and was amazed at the performance level. For a mere $25, I watched acts that were world class, so much more fascinating than if I paid $50++ for a high brow affair at the Esplanade.
The atmosphere was different from any performance that i have ever attended. Perhaps as it was an outdoor event, with squishy wet grass and stars beaming down at us, the mood was electrifying. People were open and raccuous. We shouted, screamed, lounged on our wet picnic mats and looked up at the stars, rushed from set to set and ate chips as crunchingly loud as we wanted to. We stood up and jived. We stepped on bags and slippers as we try to find the purrrrfect spot to settle down. The toilet queue was long and unbearable. We (okiez, I) debated if I should get a beer cos it was a Heineken.
Some of the acts are those that would have been totally out of place at the so-called people's arts centre the Twin Durians. The Cat Empire is one such example. Loud, energetic and irreverent, they would have been so out of place at the Esplanade. But under the WOMAD setting, their music was perfect. It was almost like a rock concert.
Another wonderful act is the Afrocelts. It's amazing to hear how music from such different cultures and continents can blend together. Offhand, I recall an Irish fiddler, and Irish pipes, an Indian Sikh on percussion, a Kenyan on vocals and percussion and an English flutist. Check out my link to stream their music, as I am doing now. By the time the Afrocelts came onto the stage and exploded into their music, the crowd was on its feet and dancing to the rhythm.
Of course, as it was an outdoor Arts event, a large percentage of the audience members were Caucasians. And as with any place where there are many Caucasians, you see a number of token SPGs who were scantily dressed and not exactly there for the music. But oh well, their loss. I had everything to gain.