Jason Mraz

Times are a changing in Yangon. Saturday saw the first international concert to hit Yangon… or so the organisers said. Perhaps it was the first “Western” musician to play a big concert, or perhaps it was the first big concert. I don’t really know. Anyway, we got tickets to the big event, which was free - funded by USAID, AusAID and Walk Free Foundation and organised by MTV Exit, so along with the music there was a big focus on “ending exploitation and trafficking”.

Anyway, 50,000 odd people (including a few monks) packed into the “People’s Square” (normally only open to people who pay… so the name is something of a misnomer)… We all enjoyed a free Coke from the Coke stand. Until August this year Coke didn’t have an official presence in the country. Yes you could buy Coke from Singapore or Vietnam, but it wasn’t Coke importing it and they did not advertise or have plans to start bottling in country. Now of course all that has changed, and the only remaining Coke free countries are North Korea and Cuba. I guess Coke girls in mini dresses and free drinks at a pop concert is a good way to promote the brand?

  

The set up was very professional… the sound, lights, timing etc. were all excellent, as were the movie clips highlighting some of the trafficking issues in Myanmar (e.g. trafficking for sex, trafficking for labour, trafficking for wives – China’s one child policy and preference for boy children means that there are not enough Chinese women for all the men, and so many Chinese men pay brokers to get them a wife from neighbouring Myanmar, where there is not the same policy about numbers of children).

Of course the location in front of the big glowing golden Shwedagon was better than amazing.

Walk Free foundation had given out thousands of red inflatable plastic waving light things that seemed to go down well.

 

First up were a whole heap of Myanmar acts. Some observations about Myanmar music:

• All popstars have long hair – men and women.
• Tattoos are surprisingly popular.
• There is even a Lady Gaga of Myanmar pop – all capes and ruffles and crazy hair.
• Almost all artists like to mix the rock genre with a bit of sloppy candle waving stuff. Interesting combination. One minute the crowd was going wild as guitars and drums were wielded in a rock frenzy, and the next everyone was swaying along and feeling the love.

 

Next up was “Slot machine” – a big Thai rock band. They were wild. As were the lead singer’s mono sunglasses - essential for a night concert, and clearly cooler than cool (especially combined with a tight, white 3 piece suit).

Finally on came Jason Mraz. I don’t think many people knew who he was, and probably didn’t really go to the event to see him… and when he came on it was getting a bit late i.e. after 9.30pm, so people were most likely thinking of bed (Yangon isn’t party central)… and obviously he didn’t speak Myanmar… so perhaps he wasn’t as popular as the Myanmar and Thai acts… but he was really good, and had a great band with him including a 3 piece brass set. At one point during his “Freedom Song” he had the whole crowd repeating the word “Freedom” after each time that he sung it. As one of our friends pointed out, although it didn’t seem politically motivated, it had to be the most surreal point of the night. Who would have thought it possible even 18 months ago?