Dakha-Brakha Band

Last night was quite something! The Dakha-Brakha Band, a Ukrainian quartet of singers and musicians - drums, accordians, cello, etc., was amazing. Very gifted and professional, but also very passionate and rowdy. It was a multimedia experience with lights, strobes, and a huge backscreen with moving images that accompanied the music. One of the most powerful was a long sequence of a mournful, despairing music, and a backdrop of drone images of destruction in Ukrainian cities. The whole experience was an assault on the senses, more than one could take in fully. The other thing was that when we arrived, we discovered that there were no seats. It was a standing room only performance. There were a few folding chairs for people who had paid for reserved seats - something that was not evident when John got the tickets (we had nothing to do with getting the tickets) - but everyone else had to stand. FORTUNATLY, my stool, that I use at River Singers, was in the car. It sort of lives in the car. So we got that. Ellen found an unused folding chair, so we sat right up front, right next the the railing separating us from the band - best seats in the house! Hundreds were jammed in and there were only scattered masks (we were wearing masks and some people around us were). So God only knows what we were exposed to. So - an amazing experience, but with some troubling aspects. I would say it was worth it - it was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. If you want to see this band, just go on YouTube and enter their name as a search. Lots of videos there. I actually took some great videos myself, but there is no way to share them on this blog.

The Dakha-Brakha Band