The month of February holds dear memories for all Kuwaitis, for it has the National and Independence day on the 25th and 26th respectively. For more than a decade, Kuwait has been celebrating the month of February with extravagant fireworks, parades, and most importantly music concerts. Throughout the years, the Kuwaiti audience gained an unrivaled credibility of being one of the most tasteful, and music-appreciating audiences in the Middle East.
The annual concerts became the most anticipated festive event of the year, so it was only natural that problems would arise. The transition from Hala February to Layali Febrayir in 2009 marked the first time the concerts were hosted by AlWatan. In its second run, Layali Febrayer proved to be more fruitful and eventful than any other series of concerts held in the Gulf Region.
Guests this year included the legendary Warda, Mohammed Abdu, Aseel Abu Baker, Asalah, Abdullah AlRuwaished, and a very welcomed and well-received comeback of Abu Baker Salem among others.
First timers Myriam Faris, Yara and Asma' Lmnawar proved to be a huge success. All three ladies took excellent command of the stage, each in her different manner, and moved the audience both physically and emotionally throughout their performances.
The two most talked-about gigs were Warda's and Abu Baker Salem's; Warda hasn't sung in Kuwait for about 35 years, so her return to the Kuwaiti stage was an event that garnered interest from all over the Middle East. The same goes for Abu Bakr Salem who hasn't sung to a big live audience in quite a while. Needless to say, both gigs were a triumph for the artists themselves and for Kuwait to have hosted such legendary icons and for bringing back memories of the golden age.
Other than Warda, the bevy of female singers this year was highly rich in quality; led by the diamond pipes of Syrian singer Asalah Nasri, who's gig featured songs that have been long forgotten from her prodigious back-catalogue, and the tummy of 8-months pregnant Emarti singer Ahlam.
Ahlam's gig started off very well, she sounded great and the songs selection was flawless, but unfortunately halfway through her gig she had to stop because of a rising pain in her belly and exhaustion to the point of asking for a chair to sit on while onstage—she was later rushed to AlAmiri hospital for a checkup, but everything was fine.
The Queen of Romance, Angham, returned to her fervent Kuwaiti fans after five years absence with a set of her latest and older songs such as “Delwa’ty Ahsan”, "Seedi Wisalik" and "Omry Ma'ak", but her objection to sing Khaleeji songs hampered her gig.
Returning for the second time in a row, Egyptian sensation Sherine proved that when it comes to music, too much is never enough. After her highly successful gig last year, she came back stronger this year, and with child (3 months pregnant), but that didn't stop her from bouncing around the stage like a beautiful butterfly and singing a collection of her best songs.
The male line-up was just as good, if not better, than the female one. Opening the first night was Star Academy runner-up Bashar AlShatti, who was late almost an hour and ended up performing averagely. Egyptian singer Mohamed Hamaki followed with a sullen performance that didn't earn him any credibility. While the same can be said for Miami Band—who started their gig at around 4AM—the latter picked themselves up towards the end and delivered a good show.
The second night started on a high note with the romantic anthologies of Lebanese singer Fadhel Shaker, followed by Sherine's jolly gig, and finally ending the night on the same note was Kuwaiti legend Abdullah AlRuwaishid's string of his beloved 80's hits and some of the more recent ones.
The phenomenal gig of Abu Baker was definitely one of the most successful ones the stage of Layali Febrayer has ever had; the audience was singing along to all of his hits, and there were hardly any empty seats. Needless to say, Abu Baker Salem's comeback stole the spotlight from fellow artists Abdulrahman AlHuraibi and Nabeel Shuail.
Fourth night's superstar Wa'el Kfouri hasn't been to Kuwait in a long time, so it was only natural for his return to be met with excitement and anticipation. Kfouri's gig was a flaring success, to say the least. Emarati singer Hussain AlJasmi was appointed UN goodwill ambassador during a mini-ceremony that preceded his storming (in a good way) performance. AlJasmi stopped during his gig to welcome Sahar, a visually impaired fan of his, on stage to sing along to one of his songs; Sahar's voice astounded the crowd, and it is safe to say that there wasn't one dry eye in the auditorium.
One of the most successful gigs was Aseel Abu Bakr's; he served the ardent crowd with the best of his specialties, delivering a set of his most adored and loved hits that got the crowd singing their lungs out along. It goes without saying that Mohammed Abdu's closing performance was flawless, as usual (although I would argue the song choices).
In its second year, Layali Febrayer has accomplished what others couldn't do in decades.
