CONCERT REVIEW: Luka Bloom, Zurich, September 25, 1994
- Reto Koradi
What can you do if Sunday evening is approaching on a so-far wasted weekend? Only music can save you, and if one of your favorite musicians is playing nearby, the choice is easy.
Many things were unusual this evening. A man got up on stage and the audience was silent. Was he going to (finally) announce Luka Bloom? No. He announces the opening act, and it turns out that the guy *is* Luka Bloom, but nobody recognized him!
While most opening acts don't deserve any mentioning, this one was different. An unspectacularly looking woman named Katell Keineg (Irish, like Luka) enters the stage. She just started singing, without a band, without even using her guitar. What a voice! I haven't heard such an acappella number since Janis Joplin's "Mercedes Benz". And, while she uses her guitar during the rest of the short set (which she pulls off well), her voice is absolutely outstanding. It can be soft or cry out, goes high and low, and can even imitate the whistle of a locomotive train. The style is not far from traditional Irish singer/songwriters, and the songs are excellent. I found out that her first album "O Seasons O Castles" got released recently and I can't wait to get it. Remember the name: Katell Keineg. And remember where you heard it first!
After such a strong opening act, the main act risks to look pale. However, Luka was never in danger and got control of the audience quickly. I have hardly ever been to a concert with such an intense interaction between artist and audience. He was obviously in a great mood and his stories and introductions to the songs were hilarious. For example, when he started playing his guitar at a frightening speed, he announced "this is another traditional Irish ballad", and played... an incredible version of "When Doves Cry" by Prince. Or the story about "The night I spent with Joni Mitchell and a French aupair [pause] Joni Mitchell was playing on the turntable, while the French aupair was trying to fight me off". He also made a lot of jokes and parodies of superstars, MTV, etc. He played songs requested by the audience and the show ended by a woman of the audience singing on stage. Well, I'll stop here, it's probably not that much fun if I tell about it. But go see him if you ever get a chance, you won't regret it!
However, he wasn't just telling jokes. He mainly played great music that was more or less equally distributed over his 3 albums. For the ones that don't know him (I guess his cover of LL Cool J's "I Need Love" made it across the pond), he clearly shows his Irish roots, but is not afraid of mixing them with other influences like rap. He sings wonderful ballads, but can rock just as well. He has a beautiful, unique voice, and plays an outstanding guitar.
I get the impression that he could easily write more commercial music and be a superstar tomorrow. But he doesn't seem to want that and this is good. He looks happy at what he's doing, and so does his audience when it leaves the concert; the two hours which he played seem to go by too quickly.
