Womad in Abu Dhabi

Well.... Ty wrote a huge long blog about last weekend in Abu Dhabi, at the WOMAD Festival, but the computer/Blogger ate it. We're wondering if it will randomly appear at some moment, but in the meantime....

(p.s. All the links will lead you to videos on youtube of the different artists -- none of the videos are ours)

For those of you who aren't familiar with WOMAD, it stands for "World of Music, Art and Dance". It was originally started up by Peter Gabriel in the 80s and has taken place in dozens of countries over the years. This was the first time it was happening in the Middle East. WOMAD tends to focus mostly on world music... It isn't straight folk music, but a presentation of traditional musicians who blend their art with current music trends.

We left directly from work on Thursday afternoon, with Linda and Carolyn (work colleagues) along for the ride. Carolyn had reserved hotel rooms for us at a hotel which was just off the Corniche (where the concert was taking place). This meant that we were only a few minutes' walk from the action. As a bonus, we ended up at the same hotel as many of the musicians -- including Robert Plant, who was headlining the final night.

The concert series on Thursday night started off with Korean music. We (Carolyn, Ty and I) had actually timed our arrival so that we would be sure to be up at the front for the show. The crowd was full of Koreans, and we chatted with a few of them (searching for words, now that Arabic is taking over). The group, Dulsori, used huge standing drums, wooden temple bells, traditional singing and a sort of Korean zither. It was an amazing show -- the music being more harmonious than "real" Korean singing. I'll have to admit that I felt a bit homesick for Korea while listening...

As WOMAD was happening on a beach with two stages, with alternating shows, you had a choice to either get yourself up to one of the stages, or watch what was happening on big screens. You could also just sit at the water's edge and listen. We ended up doing that for the rest of the evening, as we were just a bit tired. Because of the temperatures here, the shows didn't start until 7 pm, continuing until past midnight. We really wanted to be in shape for the following night, when Youssou N'Dour would take the stage.

The next evening, Friday, we headed back to catch The Dhol Foundation, from the UK and India. I'm not sure if I can accurately describe the mix of Celtic and Punjabi music, with traditional vocals and a dancey backbeat.... so you'll just have to listen and watch instead. We got to meet them all later on, when we bought a CD and they signed it. They were very nice guys too! The next day, we saw them again, when they led the Opening Procession up the beach.

After the pure energy of The Dhol Foundation, we took a break and sat on the beach. From there, we could listen to some of the other performers. We also did a bit of shopping (There weren't enough things to buy there!!!!!!!!!!!!) and looked at a lady making "Rangoli" art with fruits and spices in a neat design.

The next artists that we were anxious to see were Etran Finatawa from Africa. We'd seen them, in their distinctive turbans, in the hotel lobby. I'd only ever seen people with the facepaint like that in National Geographic, so it was a real treat to see them live.

Sound problems from the other stage kept us from appreciating the rather odd performance of "China's Bjork", Sa Ding Ding.... We could see her on the screen, but couldn't hear much of what she was doing. We didn't dare move, however, as we were in the best spot (having found our friends Grant and Dianne in the crowd) for Youssou N'Dour.

You may or may not recognize that name. Youssou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer who has sung with several people, but is probably best known for a song he did with Neneh Cherry back in the 90s called "Seven Seconds". He was the main act on Friday and didn't come on until midnight. He'd brought with him an absolutely insane dancer - in this video, you'll see that someone throws his ghutra up on stage as a gift.

The next night, Saturday, was all about Robert Plant. While WOMAD had been advertised here for a few months, Robert Plant's presence on Saturday was a relatively new announcement. We didn't know if he'd only come on for a song or two, or if he'd be a major feature of the show. Deciding to stay later meant that I'd probably not get a full night's sleep before heading to work the next day, but we were sure that it would be worth it.

And it was!

It started with a group made up of musicians from Gambia and the UK. Once again, we were treated to a mix of traditional vocals and drums with electric guitar. About three songs into the set, Robert Plant arrived. The rest of the show is a bit of a blur - his voice is so distinctive, and listening to him live on a beach is certainly the chance of a lifetime. He *did* do a few old Led Zep songs (like Black Dog, yes Meron, you were right), which made us all go a bit nuts. My favourite song of the night, however, was the Leadbelly song Black Girl, made famous by Nirvana (and now Robert Plant hehehe).

Alright... the computer has died twice since I started writing this... so we'll upload our own photos and videos another time.

Today (yay, another weekend), we are off to the Al Gharbia Watersports Festival -maybe a chance to camp on the beach, or (for Ty) to try kiteboarding. Inshallah, there will be another interesting blog for you to read in a few days.