Smokie concert in Mizoram

Vicenzo

For those of us oldies who know the band Smokie, this is a brief writeup about the concert last week at Aizawl (Mizoram) on the 25th - I'll bet hardly anyone knew about it :-)


The band had started out around 7.20 and were well into it with Lay Back in the Arms of Someone when the stagelights conked out towards the end of the song. When they got back onstage, they gave us their all with all their big hits including Mexican Girl which they turned into Mizoram Girl, I’ll Meet you at Midnight, Needles and Pins etc etc. A little after 9.30 they said goodnight and left the stage. The crowd shouted “We want more, we want more!” and soon they came back on, this time all wearing a traditional Mizo tartan jacket. They then launched into that age-old Mizo favourite by John Fogerty and CCR, Have You Ever Seen the Rain….fabulous response and singalong by the audience! Then as a finale, the song that everybody knows Smokie by, Living Next Door to Alice. A section of the crowd standing just next to us, helpfully chanted in “Who’s Alice…who the **** is Alice” which totally cracked up the band…and then it was all over….


And this is from the Smokie website (http://smokie.co.uk/news/news.asp)

Saturday 25th November
A huge crowd
Last night's concert, at The Assam Stadium in Aizawl, saw an unprecedented number of people, for this region, turn up to see their Number One band. The airlines even laid on extra flights to accommodate the demand from folks in outlying areas. Such was the chaos on the roads that it was difficult, even for the band, to reach the venue. An alternative route was found and they were in place and ready to start on time. However, there were still thousands of people queueing to get inside. It is estimated that there were 30,000 people inside and another 10,000 outside the grounds.
The noise of the crowd, as the band struck up, was mighty. It was clear that his audience would join in with every word of the songs they had known for many years. The frenzied approval towards the end of the show reached its climax when the whole band returned to the stage wearing the traditional handwoven tartan waistcoats. At that moment they became one with the audience. It was an awesome experience to deliver a concert to the people of Mizoram,India. A country about which was known very little. Their appreciation has been overwhelming. There is now enthusiastic talk of a return to India on a regular basis.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24th November
A day to remember
The children of Gilead Special School, established in 1989, whose disabilities include cerebral palsy, Downs' Syndrome, spasticity and partial hearing, gave us a day to remember. On the overcrowded campus, where volunteer teachers help the children to develop skills which would otherwise be unavailable to them, an astonishingly large crowd gathered, and yet there was still enough space in which the children performed the ancient bamboo dance, or cheraw, even though their partial hearing meant that they could only follow the drum beat by means of vibrations through the stone floor.
A boy of ten, with cerebral palsy, gave a recitation of a poem which he had learned by heart in just two evenings. Even the involuntary muscle spasms, from which he suffers, could not prevent his determination to deliver the whole piece to rapturous applause.
The school needs new premises, and it is the hope of the governers and staff that the Smokie concert will provide the awareness necessary to bring financial help to this amazing group of volunteers.
At dinner the band were treated to performances by a variety of local artists, all of whom had great voices. The band were asked to sing a song, so they chose "Home is anywhere you are", played on guitar and with the rather unusual accompaniment of folk drum and cow horns. Smokie CDs were auctioned to raise further money for the charity.
Today they complete the soundcheck by 3.00 p.m. to enable the crowd to start gathering in time for the show at 7.00 p.m.. It is hoped that everyone who bought a ticket will make it to the show because, as we know, flight cancellations due to poor visibility are very common here in Mizoram, land of peace and progress.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday 23rd November
From India
Smokie's trip to India was nothing short of adventurous, with missing air tickets, an impossibly tight connection at Bangkok and a threatened cancellation of the flight to Aizawl. Add to this the Aizawl Thunders Motorcycle Club's escort, which led us through narrow, winding mountain roads with sheer drops, and you have all the ingredients of a thriller.
The people of this region have taken Smokie to their hearts, and they will be present in very large numbers at tomorrow night's concert. The waving and the photographs went on for hours yesterday, and is due to resume today with an afternoon drive around the town, before visiting the children. We are here to play a concert in aid of The Spastics Society of Mizoram.
The streets are chaotic, as security guards and minders are hugely outnumbered by the crowds. The scene is reminiscent of Mongolia in 1999, except on an even larger scale.

machadinha

Smokie!!! Were these their sons or what?

__________________
Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links

Vicenzo

Of the original band members, only Terry Uttley (bassist) is still there.

machadinha

In Mizoram of all places too... thanks for report!

mal ishus

JUST READING THIS THREAD AND REALISED I HAVE GOT SMOKIE THE BEST OF CD PLAYING BACK TO BRADFORD
like they say the oldens are best

__________________
Every one should love animals they are so tasty