If you tell someone you’re from Maastricht and they’ve heard of Maastricht before, then it’s probably because of Andre Reiu, Maastricht’ local export and pride, roaming around the world with his orchestra bringing popular folk and classical music to the eager masses. His Maastricht concerts around July are world famous, and his concerts are very popular anywhere he visits in the world.
I wasn’t sure of whether I should go see the show, but my father was eager, and so when we met in Lodz recently and Andre was in town we took the opportunity to go see him in the Lodz stadium. It was a sight to behold, a truly unique phenomenon. I honestly can’t explain what makes his concerts so popular, but there’s no doubt that the masses were ecstatic. I guess the winning formula is to take the all-times greatest hits, adapt them to a full scale orchestra, add some comic relief here and there, and there you have it. It seemed to push all the right buttons in those above 50, they’ll dance, sing along, laugh at all the right places, and they’ll cheer the whole way through and ask for more. The show went on for over 3 hours, when it was officially to be over in an hour and a half, since the crowd kept asking for more, and Andre seemed well prepared and energetic the whole time through. Quite extraordinary.
We sat quite far, but those big screens on the side help get a closer look at the facial expressions and comedy action happening on stage…
If you want to get a feel of the event, here are three representative videos:
I have a feeling that the show in Maastricht outdoor at the center of town next to the grand cathedrals would make for a much nicer experience. Still, even if you suffer from this kind of music, it is something worth seeing once.