I performed my first big girl concert last night. It was titled “Freaky Auntie Punks The Blues – A rockin’ evening with Silia Stamatiadis”, and while it was neither punk nor blues, and I am definitely not an auntie (though I do have a niece, I am advised), it was absolutely rockin’. That is the only part of the blurb that was not misleading – but if you know me, you know I love a good piece of misinformation, and thus I hold zero grudges against the title I picked for my show, even after the fact. It adds to the whimsy and surreality of the act – even if said whimsy and surreality are mere fragments of my own imagination.
For you see, it did, indeed, feel surreal. It’s wild to me, how I’ve gone from being a cute little bedroom musician to playing a proper solo show. Time really does go by, and my baby steps have proven to be huge leaps into the future. And to be clear – I do have a bunch of experience in public performance, for I have been regularly busking with my ukulele for the better part of the last year, but I had never performed in a venue before – thus I do reckon this to be my debut concert. Well, it was the first event billed to my name, in any case.
But let’s cut to the chase – it was an amazing experience for me. The crowd? No clue. You’ll have to ask them for their own testimonials, but if I were to gauge their satisfaction based off their enduring enthusiasm and the endearing chit-chats I had with some audience members after the show, I’d guess that they were happy to be there.
Now, I played the piano and the ukulele for this show – 19 songs in total, with lots of banter generously sprinkled throughout. There was a whole bunch of audience participation shenanigans, and the attendees surely stood up to the task – thank God, because any opposing response would’ve been massively humiliating for me. I played both original compositions (going as far as debuting 6 songs off my upcoming 4th studio album, and playing some years-old songs that I had almost forgotten I’d ever written) and some of my infamous covers, including everything from jazz standards to diamonds of the 1970s Japanese music scene. To say it was utterly triumphant would be an understatement – multiple people showed up for my show, with roughly half of the seats in the venue occupied. That is (I am informed) good enough numbers for a debut concert, yet it wouldn’t be half as meaningful if the audience was boring. Only it wasn’t! These guys really pulled out the big guns with regards to feeding into my silly antics, and it was electrifying finding myself in the place of the performer in such a scenario.
So yes, it was surreal, it was weird, it was majestic, and it was one hell of an experience that I couldn’t be more grateful for. I wish to perform more events at this venue, and I hope to secure gigs in other concert halls as well – because through this singular concert experience, I realized performing could reach heights it would not ever meet on the crowded yet lonesome street corners of Thessaloniki. As much as I am grateful for busking (for it has boosted my confidence and street smarts like no other), there’s a certain magic in performing for a captive audience that is quite unmatched. And I am really excited to further hone my performance skills (and musicianship – the two go hand-in-hand), meet new unforgettable people over the premise of music, and immerse myself in my craft in a new and different way. Like so, I find myself at a point of no return.
Sound cheesy? It is, quite proudly so. Get over yourself. Leave me be.
This was a better experience than I could ever imagine, and even a full 24 hours after my performance came to an end, I still can’t get it out of my mind. It is like a parasite that won’t succumb to any sort of repellent. As I realize my fate as a fellow so far engrossed in music that there is no means of escape, the more stuff like this gets to me. Forever etched into my brain. Am I in trouble? The facts should indicate, someday, someplace.
If you attended the show, I thank you from the profoundness of my frail and fragile heart. If you missed out on the show, I still thank you, because if you’re reading this very blog post, you’re probably interested in my stuff, which is major in my eyes.
Sending love to all,
This is Silia, signing off. It’s beyond my bedtime, anyway. Good night. Now say it back!
Silia 
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