Already outside the venue, before the start, I could recognise the bellydancers among the concertgoers immediatey. Then I simply followed a girl in melodia pants to the elevator. Upstairs I met more of those- with a very different attitude from everyone else in the waiting queues. Ethnic clothes, long hair, often piled into fantastic hair dos on top of the head, and all those Japanese dancers way more expressive and individualistic than the rest of the crowd.
First I was appalled at the prospect of having to see a whole sold out concert in standing up-space only. But once Fanfare Ciocarlia, the Romani brass band from Romania and the movie "Gypsy Caravan", came on stage, I quickly forgot everything...the whole crowd started to rock!
This must be the "feel-good-concert of the year"! Some of their trombones and trumpets looked like they might have a few dents in them but that just fit with the scratchy, folksy, carelessly exuberant sound of their music.
And then an ember-eyed gypsy girl came on, Aurelia, and she performed a dance that looked like a hybrid between bellydance and flamenco. But she paled next to the star of the whole show- Queen Harish! Faaaaantastic! One of the sexiest and most charming dancers I have ever seen- he mesmerised the audience with his eyes and eyebrows alone at times. He would make a face at them, a twinkle in his eyes, then the kajal- lined eyes would light up and sparkle in a sexy way, he would suggestively move his eyebrows- and all the people he was looking at would start to cheer wildly!
Made me start thinking that maybe men are better at playing a sexy woman because they know exactly what men want in a woman's expressions???
Now I have my first henna tattoo ever on the back of my hand- a heart with a dart through and an A inside- painted by Harish after the concert! Oh, my God, I have to go to work tomorrow like this, I thought, after he drew it but today I feel really proud. Hope it's gonna keep a while. ; )
And what a hangover I have from getting drunk with the band! I spent the whole rest of the evening talking to Oprica, the saxophonist and leader of the band, in the after-party in a Japanese tavern, and we finished 1-2 bottles of wine between us. He said, he felt like he has known me his whole life. Now I am a groupie! Better late than never, this experience, hahaha. ; )
Later he asked me if I wanted to come and travel with them to the West of Japan for the next couple of days and another concert. I wish but I cannot- after plenty of free time during the summer I am back at work and worldly things are calling. But now I have a standing invitation to all their future concerts, yay! "Just tell them, you are a friend of Oprica, and they will call me and let you in!" he said.

video of Fanfare Ciocarla playing in Romania, Berlin and Tokyo
www.youtube.com/watch