Djembe Dragonfire @ Love Kats
While chaos was swirling around in my real world, it was a welcome break when I was asked to visit the Love Kats venue for Djembe Dragonfire's concert. I had visited Love Kats several times prior to this event, but I didn't know much about the venue's history. The owner Kat (kat.chauveau) was so kind to speak with me for a few minutes. When she started as a venue owner, it was in 2010 and it was a DJ venue; however, in 2011, she added one night of live music. She realized how amazing the Secondlife live music community is and went to an all live format after a break from SL. So, for the past 7 years her venue has had only live shows, amounting to 12 performances each week. She has a wide variety of performers, and therefore a good representation of the different genres, making it possible for everyone to find something they like. It was such a pleasure to chat with Kat, she treats her venue and live music as a labor of love and it certainly shows through!
When I first entered the venue, Djembe did a great job of personally welcoming guests, contributing to the warmth of the atmosphere. This was something he did perfectly throughout his set. As I settled into a dance with my partner Ben, we heard Djembe open with 'Night Shift' by The Commodores, he continued with 'Love Me Like You Do' (Ellie Goulding). The next song was 'Bennie and the Jets' (Elton John). Djembe always does an expert job technically, but he also transitions flawlessly across genres, all while connecting with his audience. His next song 'Thankful' (Josh Groban) was a testament to his vocal artistry. The song itself is deeply meaningful and so very fitting for the holidays, but the way Djembe connected with it and gave his rendition made it even more beautiful! I seriously had tears in my eyes after hearing Djembe's touching version.
Djembe turned up the energy and continued his set with 'Titanium'. His next song was a lovely rendition of 'I Dreamed a Dream' (Les Miserables) followed by a wonderfully touching version of 'Eternity' (Robbie Williams). Other songs in his set included: 'What About Us' (Pink), 'Dynamite', and 'The Mummers Dance'. It was an amazing journey through the genres! Djembe's next song was 'The More I See You' (Michael Buble) which was especially enjoyable. He closed his set with 'Awake' (Josh Groban), it was a perfect way to close his set, beautifully executed, with a powerful message that applies in both SL and RL.
If you have not heard one of Djembe's performances, be sure to mark your calendar and venture out on the grid to one of his shows. He is a 'must hear' artist!
