For a moment in the large hall at the Cairo Citadel, it felt as if all the alternative music fan in the capital had gathered for the most anticipated musical event of the year. By the end of the show, this belief was confirmed. Every single familiar face I could remember from previous concerts in El Sawy, the various cultural centers or the Cairo Opera House was there; and not a single one looked disappointed. The Algerian singer/songwriter Souad Massi's first concert in the country was a massive success, attracting foreigners, children, mothers among others who turned up to see the established star for the first time. Massi's concert was the centerpiece of the French Cultural Center in Cairo's fourth music festival. The show kicked off with a laid-back, lively performance by Egyptian band Sunshine. With their Latin American tunes, the band succeeded in putting a ray of "sunshine at the end of the day. The Egyptian band El Door El Awal followed on another stage. El Awal is one of the newest bands in the country whose mix of jazz, shades of African melodies and Egyptian folk music, has won over many music fans with their excellent concerts. The band's presence though seemed somehow slightly diminished in the grandeur of this event. At 9:30 p Massi graced the stage to deliver a stellar, highly compelling performance for an hour and a half. Dressed in blue jeans and blue top, she wasted no time and rolled out one hit after another, along with some rarities and new numbers. Massi's stage and musical persona encompass the independent, free-spirit and confidence of the Canadian rocker Alanis Morissette blended with the vulnerability, shyness and dreaminess of American balladeer Aimee Mann. Her music - where Rock, acoustic guitar, oriental folk and dashes of Portuguese country are all thrown in - has influenced nearly every artist and band who has emerged since the release of her debut solo album Raoui in 2000. (Massi was a member of the political music group Atakor which split up in 1999 after she received several death threats.) Some of the highlights included "Yel'an El Alb Elly Beyhebak (Damn the heart that loves you), a fierce, dark and excessively catchy tune about a failed love; "Raoui (Storyteller), a heartbreakingly sad ditty of memories, hope and escape; and "Beladi (My country), an anthem-like bittersweet ode to her country that's also a plea against war. Massi returned for one last encore with "Mashy Tany (Walking back again) an energetic, jubilant upbeat song that ended her show on a very high note. The National Folk Music Band performed some of Egypt's most memorable songs afterwards. Overall, the free-admission event was well-organized and more successful than the best of the other major International artists' concerts thrown in the past. Despite its grandeur, the event felt cozy and intimate; a quality attributed also to Massi's unique music. Most important of all though, this concert might be remembered in the future as the launching pad for the immensely talented singer to become the giant star she deserves to be in Egypt.
