“Music transcends all languages and barriers, and is the most beautiful communicative skill one can have.” — Ravi Shankar
Okay, I’ve got a confession to make. When my editor asked if I was interested in attending Cal Poly Arts’ Ravi Shankar concert at the Performing Arts Center SLO on April 2, I was like . . . yeah: famous Indian sitarist/composer who met and mentored The Beatles. He must be getting up there in age, but sign me up.
Oops, my bad. Shankar was born in 1920 and sadly passed away 16 years ago. So aside from feeling like a total idiot, I did more internet sleuthing and discovered his family has organized a recent tour performing a tribute to this global musical legend as the Ravi Shankar Ensemble. How cool is that?
So there I am with a sparse crowd of about 400, just 30 percent of Harold Miossi Hall’s 1,300-seat capacity on a chilly spring weeknight. Is it due to the continuing post-COVID hangover or just a niche musical genre on stage? We’ll revisit that issue later.
As for the 90-minute show, what a tour de force by a sextet of very talented musicians. And the rare visuals from Shankar’s archive provided a nice backdrop.
All sitting on a raised platform Indian-style, the five-man, one-woman group featured a violin, sarod, flute, conga/bongo-style drum combo and the ubiquitous sitar.
I’ve attended many a tribute show but nothing like this. Not even close.
The reward of getting out to experience the visceral human connection and harmonic convergence that live entertainment provides usually outweighs its steep expenditure.”
With two percussionists, the performance featured the coolest single/dueling drum solos ever, getting their loudest crowd affirmation. You all know how much I love those . . . not. These dueling drummers also performed a piercing chant akin to a non-lingual rap.
By then, I had abandoned by musical sweet spot . . . and digging it.
It would have been a special treat to hear a Beatles or George Harrison song along the way but that’s just my annoying rock/pop bias doing its thing.
Similar to Cal Poly Arts‘ recent Patti Lupone event, the small but enthusiastic audience confirmed the major challenges that Cal Poly Arts director Molly Clark and other local music promoters have in trying to fill seats in 2026, especially mid-week. High ticket prices and stubborn inflation certainly don’t help. I’m not sure what the answer is, but how can live entertainment keep competing with local sporting events and movies that cost $12 to $15 per ticket?
Still, the reward of getting out to experience the visceral human connection and harmonic convergence that live entertainment provides usually outweighs its steep expenditure.
To be more succinct: get off your ass/over your apathy/out of your comfort zone and go listen to the music.