Vusi Mahlasela

Last night I had the great honor to see one of the most highly praised African singer/songwriters, Vusi Mahlasela, at the beautiful Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul. I must say that Vusi has one of the most soulful voices I may have ever been able to see in a live setting, and nothing seemed to hinder his performance at all. Mixing African and worldly sounds with a reggae/rock feel, Vusi is definitely one of the most unique artists I have had the pleasure of seeing, and has a great talent for putting words and emotions into his music and thoughts. It was great to be able to hear his stories about growing up as a boy during some of the most troubled days of South Africa, and recalling how he and his family were affected by these things.

The only thing that I thought was not quite right about this concert was the setting in which it took place, The Ordway is one of the most beautiful theaters in the Twin Cities, but while I was sitting there, I was wishing I could be witnessing this music maybe somewhere like First Avenue, or at a park in Minneapolis, somewhere more open to music instead of performing arts. Some people were even dancing throughout much of the show, but were rarely joined by anyone else, and it just seemed to me that a very high level theatre such as this may not be the ideal setting for such a concert.

Also it was very surprising to see that a lot of the audience was small children, most likely brought by there parents to try and introduce more culture into their lives, but it became obvious that these children were not exactly pleased with sitting still for 2+ hours to listen to something that isn't rap or Britney Spears.

Overall I found this to be an extremely enjoyable time (with my wonderful sister Crystal,) and would definitely love to experience more of what Vusi has to offer, and I strongly recommend that anyone interested in music outside of your culture check him out, and have an open mind about what it is he is saying, and just relax and enjoy the simple sounds of Vusi Mahlasela.