Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Venue: Cveltičarna MediaPark / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Concert date: 12.10.2011
Attendance: 600
Adi Smolar is a singer-songwriter of remarkable staying power who has carved out a special place for himself on the Slovenian “mainstream” music scene. Slovenes love him, and he doesn’t pay them back with fluff wrapped in glittery cellophane like a horde of sold-out stage “entertainers”, with the fleeting shine of porcelain teeth. Instead, with his piercing breadth and a one-of-a-kind sermon of musical perception, he holds up a mirror, with incredible courage, no dithering and no wavering, in a sparkling and totally unpompous way, to the reality of the world we breathe, try to smell, move around in, get born into, love in, fight in, defy, sometimes fall out in, and eventually die in. Adi’s poetry is the healing plaster that can pull you out of despair at any moment and pour in a motive for defiance and perseverance. Adi is that Slovenian musical gem and genius who managed to win a “sacred spot” on the popular Slovenian music scene without having to sacrifice an ounce of his genius in return.
The promo concert and celebration of Smolar’s new record “Se počasi daleč pride” (2011) – RockLine review HERE – was never going to happen without Adi’s backing band Mestni postopači, formerly known as Leteči potepuhi. The guys released the album “Dobro došlo” in 2009, and the first half hour was theirs, warming up the already well-packed concert space of Ljubljana’s Cvetličarna until Adi landed on stage. With their likable rock flirtation draped in elements of blues and country, they didn’t forget the legendary song Bicikl, which gave the wider crowd a solid kick toward general alertness.
Half an hour later Adi steps on stage. In his own style, of course. “Prostitutka”! The packed audience is with him instantly, while the band spends the first seconds of his entrance hunting for the perfect sound calibration, since the electric Fender strayed a bit from the sonic manner of the rest of the stage accompaniment. No biggie. Adi’s charisma, voice and stature fill every corner of the room, and there’s no time for trifles. A beautiful opening track that, at the word “devize”, blasts us off somewhere far, far away… oh well, never mind nostalgia, but with Smolar it goes like this: his “oho-ho” 14th studio work is really a replica of the generational turns of Slovenian folk through time, which is why his poetry always carries an “evergreen” label. So you could easily spot a colorful crowd of people in the audience, bringing together “dewy runaways” and fully ripened seniors, who filled the corners of the hall in particular, with a mounted mug in hand. We shift up a gear with “Ljudje pa pravijo”, and the lucid face of the party grows as we spin into the revelation of the basic character traits of Slovenes.
Songs that have become folk standards ring out one after another like anvil blows in a smithy, the hall in top form, united with Adi and his comrades. The first phalanx of the “folk-ified” is behind us, followed by a phalanx of the newest creations, into which Adi once again poured his piercing genius of the past, so we can say right away that the album “Se počasi daleč pride” is also doomed to bring Slovenes 10 new evergreens of timeless sub-Alpine “yodeling”. From the brilliantly funny “Prijateljstvo”, where Adi once again lays bare out loud the cruel reality of such bonds in the Šentflorjan hen house, to “Ne gre, ne gre”.
Then comes a special moment with the magical “Daleč je za naju pomlad”, which ranks among the peaks not only of Adi’s solo career but of the creative heights of Slovenian “mainstream” in general, because every one of us has at least one life story like the one this famous song sings about, and each time the memories warm up, our eyes instantly mist over. A song whose message is simply timeless, it is the magical moment of Adi’s performance. Back into the bosom of sarcasm and fun with “Rolica”, “Jaz sem nor”, “20 ljubic”, “Jean Claude Van Damme”, and on to the triad of new ones, which Adi opens with a longer address in the role of advisor. Nothing new. When a relationship burns out, grab your stuff and go, make peace with the facts and don’t pester your ex! Certainly a manly move, but one that doesn’t come naturally in life, so you often end up looking like a fool before the lightbulb goes on in your head. If one grabs you, another one passes you by? Wrong! The new song “Če te ena hoče, te pa druga noče”. Tanja Žagar steps up to season three new songs with her vocal stamp on stage.
The special guest of the evening gave the charisma of Adi’s numbers a special note. The Hammond organ of Buldožer legend Borut Činč! This very upgrade, which gave the songs a distinctive character of their own, worked so boldly and successfully that it would be great if Smolar and the crew could keep Činč on as a special member of the live lineup in the future. Simple as that. Činč once again showed his exceptional musical talent and gift (in arranging), which adorns an important part of the historic epic of former Yugoslav bands as well as Slovenian rock music. Hats off to the elder statesman, and let’s hope this wasn’t his last guest spot on stage with Adi.
The climax, of course, reached boiling point in the finale with the (expected) run of Adi’s must-play evergreens Bog ne daj, Zlo počas, Neprilagojen,… and the marathon set is wrapped up by the title track of the new album, whose motto also sums up the symbolic dedication of this show! With a big, bold number 30 drawn on the cake. Years (no age restriction!)! In the obligatory encore we also get an invitation to head off to Povšetova, and the partying is over. 27 “little songs” in the repertoire. A solid two hours! Magical! Adi’s concert is an adventure in pure reflection of the general charisma of Slovenes, it shines a light into the most hidden corners of our souls and leads you into an intoxicating world where all worries, all troubles, all the things that push us toward trauma and insomnia are forgotten. At least for two hours. With the help of the courage of the sparkling and unique sermon of a concert gladiator, all we can do until the next time we meet at a gig is raise our glasses high and toast to the next 30 years!
Setlist
1. Prostitutka
2. Ljudje pa pravijo
3. Vse za dober biznis
4. Ko te prime
5. Tagada
6. Je treba delat
7. Prijateljstvo
8. Kako je bit sam
9. Opozicija
10. Dnevi so kratki
11. Ne gre, ne gre
12. Daleč je za naju pomlad
13. Rolica
14. Jaz sem nor
15. Jean-Claude Van Damme
16. 20 ljubic
17. Gospa natakar’ca
18. Če te ona noče, te pa druga hoče
19. Bav, bav
20. Življenje se konča
21. Bog ne daj
22. Zlo počas
23. Eks na eks
24. Pasji dnevi
25. Neprilagojen
26. Se počasi daleč pride
27. Povšetova
Photo gallery
