Kidjo energizes Finney

Last Friday night Angelique Kidjo, the World Funk Diva, graced Oberlin with her presence. And for those of you who missed the show, it was quite an experience. I use the word "experience" because, though it wasn't that great musically, nor was it wildly popular, Friday night's show demonstrated that a small, but dedicated, audience can bring energy and excitement to a lively and passionate performer.

The show had a rather awkward opening, which, admittedly, did not create a great first impression. The fact that the show was held for 20 minutes to allow more people to arrive only drew attention to the embarrassingly obvious - not many were coming. The few that were, in fact, there had to wait for the show to begin, fidgeting in the very uncomfortable Finney Chapel seats.

To be sure, there were roughly 200 people in attendance, but a space like Finney can make even a fair audience seem small simply because it is so cavernous. And when Kidjo did take the stage, matters were not helped any by her minor mic problem: she was virtually impossible to hear. Despite these obstacles, however, the night had its exceptional moments.

From the moment Kidjo stepped on stage there was an energy that filled the space. She was obviously very comfortable and very happy to be doing what she was doing. Kidjo said "I love to perform, it's the best part of my life," and this was definitely apparent. For an audience member, so often a concert is not about how great the music was, but whether or not the performer is having fun. Most probably, Kidjo was having more fun than any one else in the room, except maybe her dancers and musicians, who were also energetic.

The music, on the other hand, inspired mixed feelings. I had listened to her CD before attending so it's not that I didn't know what to expect. Kidjo says her music is influenced by many styles and artists from all over the world, and her recorded CD reflects this, but there were some times when her songs were almost reminiscent of '80's pop. Perhaps it's a combination of '80's nights at the 'Sco and coming of age during the peak of Gloria Estefan's career, or maybe it's just that the synthesizer was too loud. Whatever the case may be, there were ghosts of a decade past haunting the pews of Finney Chapel with cheesy music. To her credit, though, what Kidjo is doing is very difficult and that she does it so well is amazing.

There also was a small language barrier problem due to the fact that most of her music is sung in either her native tongue, Fon, French or Yoruba. However, because her philosophy is based on uniting the world together through music, it wasn't crucial for us to understand her lyrics in order to understand her meaning.

The most important part of the concert, however, was the audience. Initially the audience looked painfully meek. The seemingly few people were sitting quietly and rather lifelessly. It was difficult to rationalize Kidjo wasting her time and advertising on such a small crowd. Overall, it looked pretty

Kidjo: The African performer played to a less than packed house in Finney Friday, but still got a warm reception. (photos by Zach Fried)