Fred Smith Charity Concert
Hosted by Canberra Rotary Peace Bell
Canberra Playhouse
February 17, 2022
by David Atfield
LAST night I was privileged to see the brilliant Fred Smith performing at the Canberra Theatre Centre, in a special concert to welcome Afghan refugees to Canberra.
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| Singer songwriter Fred Smith |
It was a sometimes funny and often deeply moving experience as Fred recounted, in both spoken word and song, his experiences in Afghanistan and the recent history of Afghanistan more generally.
His words were accompanied by beautifully curated projected images and videos that enhanced the power of his lyrics.
A splendid ensemble of musicians, including my old mate Mitch Preston, provided Fred with virtuosic support.
Many of the refugees were in the audience, and the most moving moment of the night came when Fred started to sing a well known Afghani song about attachment to land, and several audience members spontaneously joined in.
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Rehearsal shot from the perspective of the drums! Photo: Mitch Preston |
The whole experience truly brought home the tragic recent events in Afghanistan and reinforced that we are all in this experience of life together.
Fred is a remarkable songwriter and performer, as well as being a thoroughly decent human being.
His show deserves to be seen by every Australian.
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