Candlelight show’s a must go … mostly

Instead of just watching a show, sitting in a theatre and staring at the stage ahead, experiences like Candlelight shows take it a step further. Well, try to, in any case.

Production company Fever’s global series of string quartet and music experiences by candlelight are fantastic, because the music makes it so.

As for the rest of the experience, it needs a little bit more imagination.

Like estate agents always say… location, location, location. Perhaps it was the Candlelight tribute to Coldplay’s biggest challenge. Because other shows have taken place at the spectacular Shepstone Gardens in Orange Grove.Yet, if you want to experience Coldplay, the event was at the NH Hotel, formerly the Hilton, in Sandton. Not that the hotel was fugly, it’s a stunning setting.

At least the music’s great

But dressing up a conference centre with just a stage rise surrounded by battery candles does not create an experience. Not close to a grand for front-row seats and half of that for the cheap seats, where the setup didn’t allow for much of an experience. Avis’s car rental had a slogan: We Try Harder. At the Coldplay Tribute, they didn’t. It was the Vienna String Quartet that saved the day.

Ever since the band’s debut almost a quarter of a century ago, Coldplay has been one of the most musically influential ensembles since the likes of U2, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles.

Atmospheric rock and haunting melodies made the perfect candidate for classical arranging and boy oh boy, the Vienna String Quartet delivered beyond expectations.

The hour-long Candlelight set included a selection of tracks from the band’s debut album Parachutes, their second album A Rush of Blood To The Head, all the way through to last year’s Moon Music. It was a discography of some of Coldplay’s greatest hits, and anthems.

There’s something about strings

There is something about strings. There’s emotion. A lot of it.

Fix You, already an emotive immersion in its original form, saw an incredibly tender rendition. Sky Full of Stars, simply breathtaking. The quarter drew in the audience and didn’t let go right until Visa La Vida’s final encore note. The thousands of candles, hypnotic along with the dimness of the room.

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The Candlelight musical experience was spectacular. The conference chairs arranged into flat-level seating, not so much.

There was an entire block of audience members to my right whose forward view was not the stage, in the centre of the room, but the profiles of the folk in the block where I was sitting.  

Add to that the big talker in the row behind us. He was seated so close that an entire pre-show brag about Euros and imports and how much money he was making entertained everyone around him. The looker on his arm must have been impressed. Everyone else just laughed, rolled their eyes to the ceiling and prayed for the show to start.

The bragger was also on his mobile phone, likely making deals, while everyone else, including his partner, enjoyed the music.

I felt sorry for the back row, because more than R 500 a seat is still a lot of money to fork out for a partial view over the hairdos of those seated in front of you. At least they could close their eyes and sing along. Many people did that.

It’s an incredible musical experience

The Candlelight bar service could have been part of the experience, too. Instead, the audience got trestle tables, a till, and a makeshift bar. There was no romance, no setting the scene. And at almost R 400 for two drinks, nuts, and a tiny biltong, a few candles could have been paid for from a healthy markup.

Candlelight the Coldplay Tribute was an incredible musical experience. But the organisers should reconsider the balance of the setup. The candles were pretty, sure. But that’s all there was to justify the marketing speak and over-promising pics on the ads that had me bet on a whole lot more depth.

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