Star Scene

By Layal Hasrouni

As I was starting to become restless and tired at the Beirut Rock Festival from the hour delay between the opening act and Yann Tiersens’ performance, I was hoping that he would be worth the wait.  I had never seen a live performance from Tierson who is best known for the original soundtracks of the movies “Amelie” and “Good Bye Lenin”.   As soon as he and his band played the first song, I knew he was worth the wait.

While the performance wasn’t mind-blowing, it was really good and showcased the composer and his bands’ skill in transitioning fluently between instruments and styles of music; from soft violin to hard rock and even a bit of poetry. The six musicians were in front of hundreds of people but it was clear from their intense concentration that they were in their own world as they made beautiful music together like one large and complicated instrument.

After the show, a couple of friends were discussing his interaction with the audience and that Tiersen had little to no acknowledgment that the audience was present except to say thank you.  Do we really expect musicians to interact with the audience as if we were children?  He is not Britney Spears or Snoop Dogg.  He is a musician clearly into his performance; the entire band submerged in the music and the feeling of playing each note; not because they were in front of an audience but because they love their music rather than their paycheck. Live entertainment is not valued only in its ability to make me feel present but in its ability to take part in an experience untranslatable through recorded sound.

Many people left before he came back for his encore performance.  I think people expected a more subdued performance not interlaced with so much hard rock.   While a lot of songs performed were from his 2005 album “Les Retrouvailles’, Tiersen also played songs from his forthcoming new album “Dust Lane” which the audience was not familiar with and did not expect.

I was more than satisfied with his performance.  He is an amazing musician that delivered a performance of exceptionally good music, regardless of whether I was familiar with it or not.  It is a testament to his love for music as he changes and experiments with different styles of itand I am ready to hear what his next album will bring.