Twenty five years ago, I was 35 years old. My daughter Michelene was 11. I don’t remember who started it, but my sister Cally, mom, and I became huge fans of the CD, Yanni at the Acropolis.
Now I’m sure you know that Yanni is Greek. And we are Greek. We Greeks really stick together. When we heard that Yanni was coming to the pavilion in Burgettstown 25 years ago, we went. Michelene was not a huge fan. I remember her asking me why he kept flipping his long hair during the concert.
Fast forward to 2018. I’m on the internet and something leads me to the Cultural Trust’s website. I get there and suddenly I see the 25th anniversary concert of Yanni at the Acropolis! I can hardly contain myself. I look up seats and they are affordable and available still.
I began to rack my brain, trying to think who would go with me (I was ready to go by myself but having a friend along is more fun). I settled on my cousin, Gary, and so I sent him a text. I casually asked him, “Are you a fan of Yanni at the Acropolis by chance?”
He sends me a text back, “Yes! I just listened to that music this morning!”
Long story short, my cousin was game to go with me. We decided on dinner beforehand, the whole nine yards of a memorable evening. Central Diner in Robinson was my choice of course, because, well, it’s owned by Greeks!
This past Wednesday evening, Gary picked me up in a shiny blue Chevy Camaro. He was streaming 80’s music and Yanni, and we caught up as only cousins can. At Central Diner, we went classic- cheeseburgers and french fries.
We headed downtown and parked in Theatre Parking. Lots of people were out and about. Being early for the show, we hung out in the outer lobby and waited. We ended up bumping into several more people I knew from my church.
The concert started on time. The back up musicians came on and tuned up a bit. Then, he emerged…..Yanni. He was dressed mostly in white. His hair was a bit shorter than 25 years ago. But his smile was still the same.
For the next three hours (no intermission!), Yanni played many of his famous compositions. Over and over, he went back and forth from his piano to his extra keyboards. He seemed tireless. His microphone was on his piano and he frequently stopped to talk to us. I don’t remember him talking as much years ago.
One thing that impressed me was his way of giving all of his back up musicians their time in the spotlight. The two violinists and drummer were exceptional. The extra keyboardist was nothing short of amazing. Congo drums, trumpet, cello, and bass. You could tell he revered his musicians and I loved how it was not all about him.
Yanni remains one of my absolute favorite performers of all time. I’d put him up there with Bette Midler and Bruce Springsteen (who I saw at The Stanley when I was in my early twenties). He smiled constantly, engaged with the audience, and talked about his family.
He played a song named for his mother. Felitsa was absolutely beautiful. Here’s a version I found, taped two years ago in Egypt. This will give you the closest feel for how magical and intimate his Pittsburgh concert was.
One of my favorite songs of Yanni’s is Until the Last Moment. Yanni told us about his father’s words. He said something like this, “My father would say, the past is gone, the future is tomorrow. What we have is today and we should enjoy every moment, until the last moment.” Truer words were never spoken.
What did I think of the concert? I called it “Soul Touching”. The music touched me deep in my heart and soul. It lifted me up and made me forget everything for three solid hours.
I’m so glad I got to go to this concert! Anyone want to go to Cincinnati, Ohio on July 27? 🙂
Click HERE to see Yanni’s tour dates.
Thank you to my friend Paula Y. for the photography.
“On the plane home I remember thinking that I am who I am because I have faith in myself, and it has always been the possibility of emotionally rewarding the experiences that has encouraged me to gamble on myself; those experiences have made all that I do worthwhile.” Yanni
