It was a magical night in a magical place. A night that is mathematically certain that we will never live again in our country, and we were really very lucky that a legendary composer / producer / musician decided to organize such a concert for such a noble cause. Desmond Child needs absolutely no introduction…not even the basics as everyone knows at least a double-digit number of his songs. Even the celebrities that were present in the front rows of the Herodes Atticus Odeon, sang many of Desmond Child’s songs, giving you the clear impression that they also grew up with them! But let’s get things started…
Upon entering the Ancient Odeon, we immediately grabbed our seats right in front on the left side of the stage. In front of us, the imposing blue piano of Desmond dominated the stage and of course you could not help but be in awe from the whole scene of the Odeon which was absolutely packed. With the schedule running like a Swiss clock, a twelve-member string orchestra accompanied by the main musicians and singers make their entrance together with 4… ancient Greek warriors (do not forget that the purpose of the concert was the reunification of the Parthenon marbles). Desmond Child appears, and everybody is on their feet applauding and welcoming the legendary songwriter who was evidently thrilled to be among us. From this point on, we were treated with a two-hour parade of stars and hits! Excellent setup, crystal clear sound, impressive and highly professional production from those that are so rare in our country. Just a few of the highlights of this glorious night: Bonnie Tyler’s incredible performance on “If You Were A Woman”, “Stronger Than A Man”, “Hide Your Heart”, the amazing performances of Justin Benlolo and Chris Willis in those timeless songs by Bon Jovi, KISS and Aerosmith, Rita Wilson’s fantastic stage presence during her take on “Angel”, the impressive Kip Winger on bass whose overall stage presence was absolutely amazing and got all the… hair metallers in the crowd on their feet. Also, The Rasmus (basically, singer Lauri Ylonen and the incredible Emilia Suhonen on guitar) were fantastic in “Livin ‘In A World Without You”, “Jezebel” and the cover of “Love Will Keep Us Alive” (Scorpions). Do we forget someone…?
The one and only Alice Cooper who was by far the best of the best! Escorted by his wife on the backing vocals, Alice dominated the stage as we were all carried away to the rhythm of “Poison” and “Bed of Nails”. It was definitely surreal to see the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni singing “Poison”, and the director of the Acropolis Museum videotaping Alice! Last but certainly not least, Sakis Rouvas and George Lembesis were also phenomenal!
In the end, Desmond was left alone on stage and really moved dedicated the song “You Want To Make A Memory” to his husband and children, saying goodbye during a standing and deafening ovation. As a closing note, I’d say that Rita Wilson’s phrase perfectly sums up our emotions: Desmond Child is the soundtrack of our lives. We could not agree more…
Sakis Nikas