STAGE

I went to see Hamed Nikpay on the stage of San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts on Sunday night.  The sold out event was the second stop of Hamed's new tour, All is Calm on the Road.  I have seen Hamed in quite a few performances over the past few years.  The rising star of Iranian fusion music is known to deliver an unforgettable performance each and every time [see interview with VOA (1) (2)].  But this performance was something else.  It was Hamed's night and it was a night full of excitement, electricity, and pure joy in celebration of all that is beautiful about music.  Whereas in most traditional Persian music concerts we tend to see a more mature audience, appreciative of the nuances and beauty of Persian music beyond its initial appearance of melancholy, Hamed's music has a much younger following.  It is as though his many years of work on fusion has finally offered the long awaited bridge to celebration of all the melodies we all know and love, livened up through a kiss of music from other parts of the world, delivering world class world music which is unique and engaging.

Hamed was accompanied by the talented and extraordinary saxophonist, Farzin Farhadi, percussionist Greg Ellis, flamenco guitarist Daniel Fries, and multi-instrumentalist Dimitris Mahlis, each a superb performer in his own right.  The usual interaction of audience with Hamed and his good-natured and happy exchanges with the crowd were specially sweet on Sunday night.  The music shook and touched us, the words soothed and energized us, and the spirit of friendship and celebration of a very special talent dominated the night.  Contrary to the tour's title, in the packed hall of Palace of Fine Arts, all was anything but calm.

Hamed's tour will take him to Vancouver (Saturday, August 29th), Toronto (Saturday, September 12th), and Los Angeles (Saturday, October 3rd).  If you can catch his show on any of those nights, don't miss it!

For more information, visit hamednikpay.com