Upon entering Chicago’s Vic Theatre on a Thursday night, I was greeted with what appeared to be a tribe of yogis, healers, and just plain good vibes. People were speaking to each other as if they had known each other forever. A kaleidoscope of rainbow hues colored the audiences attire, matching the exuberance that shined on their faces.
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Krishna Das
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Vic Theatre
Chicago, IL
June 23, 2011
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I had never heard Krishna Das (KD) live, and have only heard a handful of local kirtan groups, so I had no idea what to expect. In my mind I had pictured a very solemn man with long hair stoically singing the ancient Sanskrit chants. To my very pleasant surprise, the “solemn man” I had expected walked onto stage in blue jeans and a plaid shirt. KD looked more like my own father than the idolized guru I had imagined. I was glad I hadn’t done my research, because what unfolded in the 3-hour call-and-response concert was unlike any kirtan I had ever experienced or imagined. It was a bit of magic.
Krishna Das’s ensemble included him leading on harmonium, a violinist, sitar/guitar player, and a tabla player. The ensemble looked fairly ordinary, but what came out of them was far from ordinary. Krishna Das is known around the world today as “yoga’s rock star” with over 300,000 records sold. He has given kirtan throughout the US and the world a more accessible feel.
The accessibility of KD as a person and as a performer was very much felt as he greeted the spirited crowd with “Howdy” as if he was just out for an evening stroll. Laughter filled the crowd as KD cracked jokes and made us all feel right at home, you would hardly guess that the man had studied with the grandfather of kirtan Neem Karoli Baba (aka Maharaj-ji) until he began singing the ancient chants.
KD joked that, even he didn’t know the meaning of the ancient words he was singing, but that there wasn’t exactly a translation for them. The sounds of the chants were meant to be felt, and the truth of the music would unfold within ourselves through the practice. Chanting, as he put it, is a practice and a way of returning to the present moment; it is a way of developing a deeper awareness of our unity with all that is.
KD and his ensemble were on the 14th concert of their “2011 Samsara By Bus Tour” and they performed that night as a group very much in love with the crowd before them. KD’s soulful voice accompanied by outstanding performances by his ensemble wove together chords and energy that created an intoxicating web of harmonic magic. I can’t imagine a single person in the room not feeling the goosebumps from the harmonies and rhythms that melded us all into one blissed-out bubble.
The concert began with the energy building chant of “Shree Ram,” building to the revered “Govinda” with KD’s own personal additions, and ended with the epic “Om Namaha Shivaaya”. Amongst the 3 hours of heart-warming music was a surprise gospel song. The crowd went a bit wild--clapping and dancing as if we were in a southern church responding with the chorus line of “Talk about Jesus...Call Him up and Tell Him what you want.”
At first, the song was a shock, but after KD’s teachings about how Lord Krishna, Buddha, and Jesus were all seen as the same thing--uniting the people through love--then the connotations that had filled my mind felt a little less important. The meaning behind the song was less about religion and more about universal love.
Perhaps the venue wasn’t the best for an intimate kirtan experience, but it was awesome to have that many people together singing with a revered musician. It opened the audience’s hearts and created contagious amounts of joy. No one floated away, but there was definitely ecstatic energy in the crowd.
Krishna Das’s accessibility in performance and personality leads one to believe that bliss is attainable. Kirtan is not a dying art form, but as seen with KD, continues to succeed and evolve as a medium that unites people in a practice dedicated to promoting love and peace throughout the world.
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