Usually when the name “Amadeus Awad” is brought up, the first thing that occurs to one’s mind is guitar expertise and emotional playing. Amadeus made sure that this is true at one of his recent events entitled “Radio Active Nightmares”, which took place at E.M. Chill in Gemayze. Although the number of attendees was expected to be high, it was pretty moderate. I guess it has become sort of a trend to confirm attendance and not show up. And for those who didn’t show up, it was a loss.

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Hailing all the way from Geneva, Paul Numi began the event with a one-man acoustic set. Now Paul’s image and lifestyle are the last thing you’d expect from a rock musician. He is an executive in a major multinational company, but he also finds the time to pursue a career in rock music. The image of the suit and the guitar that he possessed portrayed his diverse background. I bet it must be pretty fulfilling to find a balance between both lifestyles. His songs seem to fall in the British alternative rock category; smooth and perfect for the pub’s atmosphere. Think of Oasis to get an idea.

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Amadeus joined him on a few songs adding his touch of clean soloing. Paul’s crowd interaction was the highlight of his show; he had the crowd singing along enthusiastically, especially during his last song “Get Up” which was aimed towards the Lebanese people living in fear. I guess it was the familiar topic that really stirred up the crowd.

Then it was time for Amadeus and his band which consists of :

Vik Bajak on Bass GuitarPatrick Stephan on DrumsCharles Sawma on Keybords

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What’s great about Amadeus and his band is that everything you see on stage is pretty much entirely improvised, and those that regularly attend Amadeus’s shows know that what he and his band have to offer is different every time. Musical expertise? It was all over the place. Even though the songs featured a lot improvisation, each one was unique and didn’t have any repetition. However, the songs all maintained sort of a mellow and trippy mood, which I’m guessing is what the band aimed for that night. All in all the vibe was great, the band performed very well, and had a lot of chemistry going on, and Amadeus’s soloing was top-notch as usual.

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Overall, the event was successful for both both Paul Numi and Amadeus’s band. It was great to see an event which featured professional musicians exclusively; a good getaway from most of the mediocre events that take place.