There are musical shows and then there are epoch-making concerts like the one Oman witnessed on Friday night at the Grand Hall of Sultan Qaboos University.
British singer-songwriter, composer, producer and an accomplished musician, Sami Yusuf charmed Oman‘s audience with his soulful singing at the well presented concert organised by Black & White in association with Bandera Events. With his scintillating voice and spiritual lyrics, Sami Yusuf not only impressed with his songs but also shed light on many social and humanitarian issues through his singing.
It is no wonder that this prolific singer is fast becoming an icon in the musical world. The evening began with a visual display of Sami Yusuf’s song It’s a Game!
Then, Hesham Abdul Wahab, an Indian singer based in Dubai, opened the concert with his rendition of Hindi and English songs impressing the crowd.
Finally, when the singing sensation took to the stage, the doting and well turned out crowd rose to a thunderous applause.
As the lights went out, Sami Yusuf, sporting a black suit, began the musical journey with a flawless performance of his hit song Salaam, which set his fans cheering with delight.
Sami Yusuf then addressed the audience and said, “We begin in the name of God. It’s a great honour to be here. I am delighted to perform here at this magnificent venue.”
Sending out a message of support to the people suffering in Syria and Egypt, he urged the audience to observe a minute’s silence to pray for the people who have lost their lives. In their honour, he sang his well known song, Make a prayer.
Sami Yusuf’s soulful songs charmed the hearts of those who listened to him. Sami sang several of his famous songs from his well-established repertoire which included Wherever you are, To see you smile and Salaam.
Accentuating the Omani culture, they made a ‘majlis’ arrangement where Sami Yusuf, the flute player and singer Wahab, presented a fusion of Arabic song and Thaiya Thaiya.
Sami was livewire on the stage — singing, playing different instruments like oud, drum, piano and santoor and interacting with an audience who could not get enough of his songs. They were seen swaying to his melodious and heart touching tunes.
Powerhouse performance
The singer, blessed with a voice that is dreamlike, made it a night to remember, rendering one melodious number after another. In fact, his music, his art, his voice transcended the temporal and touched the sublime. Clearly, it was a powerhouse performance.
The band accompanying Sami Yusuf also charmed the audience as their performance was par excellence. Finally, as the event came to a close, the versatile singer ended the evening full of passion and love, with an outstanding, uplifting song from his album Salaam, making the event a grand success.
“Sami is one of the UK’s biggest exports in the last decade. In the course of seven years, he has masterfully navigated through unchartered waters — he has won over the hearts and minds of millions from across the Middle East, Europe, North America and North Africa. His compass, in principle, has been his self-coined genre — ‘Spiritique’.
“Manifested both musically and philosophically in his third album, Wherever You Are, ‘Spiritique’ is a product of Sami’s identity. Sami is a passionate advocate of unity and is boldly committed to cross-cultural appreciation through promotion of universal values and celebration of the human spirit. The aim is to bridge the gap between perceptions and sense of incompatibility, and to foster spiritual autonomy so we may usher into a new era of cooperation and coexistence,” informs his official website.
Audi was the presenter/title sponsor for Sami Yusuf Live Concert, while FM Radios Merge and Al Wisal were the platinum sponsors; the official airline was Oman Air and the official host was Radisson Blu Hotels; the gold sponsors were Oman Oil and Khafeef lightest frying oil while Assarain, Oasis water, Amalia perfumes, Apollo Medical Centre were silver sponsors. The Times of Oman and Al Shabiba were the official media partners.