I do love watching flash mobs performing at public places. The spontaneity of bringing joy to people who could use it as they plod along in their lives. I have never experienced one first-hand, but I know of people who have, and was friends with members of the band Those Darn Accordions, which used to walk into McDonald’s restaurants in California, play a quick song on their squeeze boxes, then abruptly leave before management called the police on them.
Just like most other activities, COVID put a halt on seeing flash mobs appear at shopping malls and town squares. Sad, really. Music brings such warmth to the heart. I love watching videos of flash mobs from around the world. I may not know what the people are singing about, but it is such a pleasure to see the facial expressions of the people watching, and to watch little children dancing to the music.
So here’s a few examples of flash mob performances that I have fallen in love with over the past few years.
First, this is at some shopping mall, the number of singers grows with each new Christmas tune performed. Once the final song commences, the entire crowd becomes part of the performance, The surprise ending will move anyone watching.
Here was a unique way to promote an upcoming concert. A bassist stands still until a young girl puts a coin in his hat. Then, she gets the surprise of her (and the rest of the crowd’s) life.
On the subject of classical music, here’s a shopping mall version of Ravel’s “Bolero.” Watching the little child plucking the cello for a few seconds is what makes this type of concept beautiful – getting people not familiar with music to be a part of it. I also love that the musicians are spread out in the mall area.
This is a pretty unique one from Poland. The Polish cast of Les Miserables performs a song in a mall, but while some shoppers are entertained, others seemed bothered.
If there is one thing that all Poles love and respect, it is the music of Chopin. While this is not exactly a flash mob, it is unscheduled performances at the Chopin Airport during a celebration of the composer’s work.
Performed in a Ukranian train station, this flash mob performs “Katyusha,” a war song that I am sure you have heard the melody before. People not part of the mob are inspired to join in. Listen to that reverberation from the train station walls!
Yes, the flash mobs of Eastern Europe are the ones that I enjoy the most. The top ones come from Russia. I love seeing these young people take over a department store. They sing an old folk song, and seem very proud of their heritage. That’s something that you don’t see in the US, unfortunately. My God, those voices are amazing!
I conclude with probably my favorite of all flash mob videos. This was filmed in a train station in the far eastern Russian city of Blagoveschensk, a few men start singing a Ukranian folk song called “Pidmanula,” which is about a girl that continually turns down a boy’s request for a date. It is comparable to a campfire song here in the States, where everyone knows the words and melody. Seeing these men motivate everyone in the train station to sing is beyond impressive.Young, old, men, women, EVERYONE knows the song and joins in! It’s also wonderful that they respect the sound of an accordion more than Americans, who tend to look at it as a comical instrument.
Chew on it and comment.
Luegra 