Music Hall

So I went out on the town with a couple of friends of mine a little while ago to this place called Music Hall. Knowing that I’m a musician they wanted to take me somewhere to see some live music and seems this place is one of the best in the Middle East. It was a very different experience from any other live music event I’ve been to but here goes.

So here in Lebanon, for most places that involve a show, or even to go to a Nightclub, you need to book a table. That in itself is a rather strange concept, however it seems to work for them. The Music Hall building is a converted cinema and is really quite big and well decorated. Imagine…double the size of the Night Cat in Fitzroy – with a huge stage, couch booths and tables and chairs on the floor. It works as a $50 minimum spend. You basically get a bottle of Vodka between 4 people for your money and the rest pays for the show. Don’t forget the small bowl of mixed nuts also. Bargain right?!

The stage has a large red theatre curtain and before any of the music starts for the evening (which is at about 11pm) there is a DJ playing a random assortment of new dance tracks, traditional Lebanese songs coupled with a random selection of songs from the best of 1992. The way the night works is that an act will come on for 10-15 minutes, play a couple of songs, then the stage curtains close and the DJ will play for another 20 minutes before the next act comes on. There were probably about 8 or so acts, all ranging through different styles of music. Most of the songs that they play are either covers of western songs or of famous Lebanese songs. There was a young Lebanese woman who came out and sang a cover of ‘Hit the Road Jack’, followed by a young woman who sang Christmas songs in French, which was terribly painful considering you get barraged with horrible Christmas music anywhere in Lebanon before and even now after Christmas has come and gone. They have a house band that includes Drum (kit), Guitar, Bass, Keyboard, Horn Section and a Middle Eastern percussion section. They rotate and or change depending on the acts and when the Cuban act was on, it was mostly Cubans playing in the band. There was also a Yugoslavian Gypsy Brass band which was sensational – and some Cuban rap. Included in the night was a couple of old Lebanese guys who look like your grandfather singing traditional songs that the crowd were most happy to sing along with.

The crowd was a mixture of young and old people and because this show only changes once every 5-6 months, it’s not the kind of place that you go to often. The audience were right into it and mostly because they knew all the songs. It wasn’t really about musicianship and great music as much as it was about nostalgia and singing along. I guess you would kind of call it a showcase evening – and sometimes it felt almost like cabaret! The acts are all signed to the production company that runs the venue and they’re not allowed to play anywhere else besides Music Hall – and the show nights are fri-sun.

It seemed like very strange concept to me coming from Australia where we have original live music on every night of the week and bands aren’t obliged to be part of any company to play anywhere. I’ve since realised that as much as I wanted to play a gig while I was here, there isn’t a market for that sort of things. The people here, when they go out, mostly want to hear songs that they know. There isn’t a wealth of music culture here and although there are a few jazz bars and the like, the majority of music is played by a DJ. So I guess I won’t be playing a gig here, which to be honest, I’m not really too fussed about, especially knowing that it wouldn’t be appreciated for what it is.

All in all it was a very interesting experience. I danced for a lot of the night with my friends. Had 2 drinks out of the supposed bottle of vodka that I paid to share with others (mixers are added as extra to the bill) and went home at about 3.00am.

My next door neighbour Sabine was out with us and was driving me home from Beirut when we got stopped at a Hajez (military stop) and were subsequently asked by the soldier who waved us down if we’d had a big night. Now, in Lebanon there aren’t any drink driving laws – there are also speed limit signs on the road that no-one really looks at – so, suggesting to any driver that they may not have had a big night is almost an insult around here. My friend replied with “Of course we’ve had a big night” to which he smiled and waved us on. I told her that if she even attempted that joke with a cop at a booze bus, that he would have breath tested her and not have thought it was funny at all. I also suggested that next time we get pulled over in a situation like that, it should have gone something like this…

Officer: “Good Evening. Have you ladies been out drinking tonight? ”

Passenger: “Well, we have, but we haven’t had a lot to drink.”

Officer: “Maam, I’m afraid you’ll have to get out of the car and have another drink before I let you drive home”