From Goofoosh's concert your booklet
Best concert
Googoosh in Las Vegas was unforgettable
By Nazanine Ram
January 19, 2001
The Iranian
I left my house at about six in the morning on Christmas Day, heading
towards Washington DC's National Airport to go to Las Vegas. After two
unsuccessful attempts to land, the plane finally touched down before noon.
It was very scary. I can't remember the last time I had prayed so much.
The pilot never explained what was going on!
I went to the hotel, checked in and called my cousin, who was there
with her family and our grandmother. She had to come down and get me, since
I couldn't go up to the VIP floor, where they were staying. On the way
up she asked me: Guess who is staying in the adjoining suite? Googoosh!
I could not believe it. She said the concert had been amazing the night
before.
I had already seen Googoosh in Toronto, in Los Angeles, Washington,
DC, and Atlantic City. Now here I was to see her last U.S. performance.
Googoosh was signing autographs that day in the front lobby of the arena
where she was to perform again later in the evening.
My cousin suggested we go have coffee at the cafe by the elevators,
where there was a sitting area for the guests staying on that floor. Soon
after we sat down, Googoosh accompanied by several guards and members of
her entourage left her room. As they walked past us you could hardly see
the petite diva. I did catch a glimpse of her, though, dressed very casually
in jeans and a sweater, looking very beautiful.
The concert was to begin at eight. She finally ascended onto the stage
at nine and started the show with "Hejrat". she seemed to be
in a great mood, as were Babak, Pedro and the rest of the band. We were
sitting in the third row. It was completely surreal for me.
The audience did not seem to be getting enough of her, and she was obviously
drawing from the energy of the crowd. She sang for over three and a half
hours with a short break in between. she did four or five songs she had
not performed in previous concerts, like "Jaadeh", "Man
aamade'am", "Do panjereh", "Shekaayat", and one
or two more.
Her voice got better and better as she sang more songs, and she looked
absolutely beautiful. She also had a guest guitar player, Ardeshir Farah
of "Strunz and Farah", who performed "Man-o-gonjeshk-haayeh
khooneh" with Babak Amini. that, too, was quite a performance.
After she did "Jaadeh" , she said:"Az khodam ta'ajob
kardam!" That was another highlight, where she hit some high notes,
and she did it perfectly. At the very end, she spoke to the audience for
a few minutes, thanking them, her husband and son, and the media. She also
thanked those who were not always so kind to her, because they had helped
her improve, she said.
It was truly an unforgettable event. Googoosh looked gorgeous. She sang
beautifully. She had a great sense of homor, and was completely at ease
with the crowd. I am still amazed at how much my grandmother had enjoyed
the second show after having sat through four hours the previous night!
I had left Washington feeling very guilty for leaving my husband and
two kids during Christmas, but the second my plane landed, all that guilt,
all that useless emotion, was nowhere to be found!
