Tommy Emmanuel Concert in Ljubljana
Sometimes people just leave you hanging. And it leaves you thinking. But sometimes one just has to say “f**k you all” and go and enjoy it! And so I did.
Yesterday I went to a concert in Mediapark Cvetlicarna in Ljubljana, Slovenija. It was first after a very long time (if I don’t count my friends’ “Doctors & Losers” a month ago). And the artist was the reason enough. Tommy Emmanuel, one of the best acoustic guitar players I’ve ever heard! Dag introduced his music to me about 4 months ago and when I heard Tommy will be playing in Ljubljana I was ecstatic! And when I heard that the scheduled concert a month ago was canceled I was equally disappointed. But then yesterdays date was announced and I couldn’t wait.
After both Dag and Bostjan let me hanging alone with the ticket I decided I’ll use this concert for practice in concert photography. I’ve packed all my gear (which ended up a bit obsolete) and headed for the venue. At the ticket desk I politely asked about the photography rules and was given the specs: no flash, first three songs up-close, then from way back. Fair enough, considering I was not accredited or anything. When I got in I took out my gear and tried a few different angels, lenses, etc. The plan was to get the up-close shots from the right side of the stage and then “retreat” to the VIP level to get to the “high ground” and use my 200-400mm Tokina lens. Well, easier said than done.
Just after a few minutes I’ve spotted “The Pros” - professional photojournalists - gathering in the middle of the room and slowly advancing toward the stage. I thought it may be wise to follow their lead but not get to close to the “battle ground”. So I ended up in about 4th row, in the center of the stage. Which was one of the best positions I could be at. You see, the Pros in the front were “bounced” back after 3 songs. And I wasn’t! :) The forth row was far enough not to be spotted by security and close enough for 135mm lens to be effective. Victory! The only problem I had was the classic applied Murphy Law : “the tallest guy in the room has to stand in the first row right before your lens.”
I’ll be posting pictures of the concert on my photo blog FailedGuideDog Photography for the next few days, so you might want to check it out now and then.
Note: Today or maybe tomorrow, FailedGuideDog Photography will be changing servers on my host and may thus be unavailable for a period of time. Do not give up. It will be up shortly.
Now, a few words about the concert itself…
The opening act was by Saso from Prekmurje (if I remember correctly) who showed the crowd how can Slovenian music sound when played in a Tommy Emmanuel fashion. Quite interesting and Saso was a pleasant surprise too!
After that, Tommy came to the stage and the crowd went wild! In short - it was a blast!!! This guy can play, drum, bass, fingerpick, pluck and do whatever with his guitar and it will sound great! The sounds he can get out of his acoustic guitars are just amazing! Something my father would surely appreciate. And besides that, he can play acoustic blues like no other I’ve heard live! Truly, a treat!
In the middle of the concert Tommy surprised everyone - he invited his fiancee Lizzie Watkins to join him on stage. And while I was expecting a slightly middle-aged woman, Lizzie took my breath away. She is young and beautiful. And looks half his age! Good for you, Tommy! ;)
And besides that, she can sing beautifully! They make a very nice couple!
After a few songs with Lizzie, Tommy played his “aboriginally inspired” Initiation piece. A little scary, full of reverb and unearthly sounds, this song put the crowd in a bit of depression. Fortunately, nothing a few “delta 12-bar blues” songs couldn’t repair!
The performance was topped by Tommy and Saso blues improvisation and two encore songs. Very effective and powerful show. I left musically content, as well as creatively fulfilled. I would recommend to everyone to go and see this guy play! It is something you’ll never forget. Almost like a Iztok Mlakar’s live performance - priceless.