Vlatko and Crew Bring Their Little Leb i soliranja Lexicon Back to Life in Ljubljana (2006)

Location: Cankarjev Dom / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Concert date: 12/12/2006
Attendance: 0
Ticket price: 7200, 6000, 4500, 3200, 3000 SIT (30'05; 25, 18'78, 13'35, 12'52 €)

Author: Klemen Polimac – the legendary Poli

The legends are back with us. Three decades of knitting for our ears, and they still sew like a Singer. Definitely a contender for concert of the year on our soil. They treated us to 2 and a half hours of pure joy. Nothing but classics! Veni, Vidi, Solo’d!

The guys hit 30 years of existence this year (the salt was sprinkled on the bread on January 1, 1976), and their last gig together before this tour was 11 years ago (December 13, 1995), so, in short, time for a (temporary) reunion!

They put together a proper little lexicon of Leb i soliranja (read: the setlist), starting with Aber Dojde Donke and then gradually crocheting their way from prehistory up to the band’s more recent history. If you own their double ”best of” disc ”Anthology”, you’ll have recognized almost every track, except for the traditionals Raspukala Šar Planina (recorded this September at Studio Tra, La, La in Skopje) and Ajde Sonce Zajde. Because of the huge number of pirates in the land of Alexander the Great, the Leb i Sol boys decided to sell the double CD and DVD ”30th Anniversary Tour – Live in Macedonia”, recorded at the start of this tour in Ohrid and Bitola, only on the tour itself, so you won’t find it at Big Bang or Müller… ”Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t an EPP, it’s just something for our fans,” said Vlatko, who records all the shows anyway. The double ”Anthology” isn’t an ad for them from me either, but I’d recommend it to anyone who isn’t yet acquainted with the rich legacy of these Macedonian legends.

All four had their obligatory solo spots and wowed the crowd. The only shame is that Vlatko didn’t solo a bit longer, because he took me on a trip… He’s still right at the very top of the guitar virtuosos, although here my better half pokes me in the ribs, adding that the guys are already too slick and you can’t feel any chemistry between them.

Vlatko could have taken a bit more time and sung some of the songs with more feeling, but since the guys have mostly instrumental material, it didn’t bother me too much. When they got to the more ”cheerful” songs toward the end, Vlatko danced up and down the stage, using the setlist as his dance ”handkerchief,” which he then handed to a young ”pioneer” girl from the front rows of the floor, who came skipping up and took over the baton (with a smile all the way to Tokyo). Looks like he really had an energy surplus that night, and the crowd (at least the female half, a good part of which got up and started some serious shimmying – just kidding) responded more to the upbeat hits, although literally every song from the first one on was met with thunderous applause and the occasional shout of ”Vlatko, care!”

The crowd showed a bit of initiative too, and during one of the calmer numbers (Čuvam Noć Od Budnih) little ”fireflies” lit up in my row (sparklers, you know, the New Year’s kind). But of course, Cankarjev Dom’s security guards came rushing over and the private party was over (who knows if the Leb i Sol boys even noticed this emotional outburst).

The audience clapping along to the familiar rhythm ”jen dva tri, jen dva, jen dva, jen dva tri,…” wasn’t missing either (Jovano, Jovanke). And there was a great light show, including a yellow-and-red Macedonian sun that circled the hall every now and then.

Instead of old-school lighters, at Vlatko’s request we turned on our mobile phones and conjured up our very own cosmos… Uči Me Majko, Karaj Me. And a group bow at the end.

For all you latecomers, here’s one more date, the really last one: Belgrade, December 28, 2006. Who knows if they’ll ever get together again…

P.S. When I listen at home to the album mentioned above from this year’s tour, and consider that it was recorded in the ancient theater in Ohrid and the Heraclea amphitheater in Bitola, I can’t help thinking of Pink Floyd’s legendary ”Live in Pompei”, a recording from a similar setting, except that Pink Floyd did it at their peak, while Leb i Sol did it after the band had been split for ten years (someone once called Leb i Sol the Balkan Pink Floyd, which Vlatko likes and agrees with). If Floyd could afford to play in an empty arena, now seems to be the time for some happy hanging out and fun. The huge interest and response on this tour show we haven’t gotten tired of them yet, and that a reunion (even if only for a short tour) is the right thing at the right time. Anyone who missed it can kick themselves!!!

Setlist

1. Aber Dojde Donke
2. Devetka
3. Kokoška
4. Nisam tvoj
5. Marija
6. Akupunktura
7. Kako ti drago
8. Talasna dužina
9. Dikijeva igra
10. Ručni rad + drum solo
11. Kumova slama
12. Ajde sonce zajde
13. Živa rana
14. Skakavac
15. Kalabalak
16. Jovano, Jovanke
17. Uči me majko, karaj me
18. Čuvam noć od budnih
19. Mamurni ljudi

— 1st encore —
20. Čukni vo drvo
21. Kao kakao

— 2nd encore —
22. Raspukala Šarplanina
23. Skopje

Lineup:

Vlatko Stefanovski – guitar, vocals
Garabet “Garo” Tavitijan – drums
Nikola “Koki” Dimuševski – keyboards, vocals
Bodan Arsovski – electric upright bass, bass guitar, vocals