Yothu Yindi performed Saturday night in Webster Hall, which is soon to be an extension of Baker Library, but Saturday night was hardly a time for thinking about books. The concert was sold out and before it began the audience was eager to see what this up-and-coming Australian band had to offer.
For the show, the stage in Webster was arranged in two levels. The back half was raised and set up for the electric guitarist, bass player, drummer and keyboardist, while the dancers and singers occupied the front half. The backdrop was an Australian desert scene, with the band's name written in large imposing letters across the top.
Shortly after 9 p.m., the house lights dimmed as the stage suddenly flooded with green lights. The hall was still except for the penetrating, vibrating sound of the yidaki (a huge, long hollow wind instrument) that one man began playing while sitting cross-legged on stage. He was clothed in a naga (loincloth) hung with long feathers.
Most remarkable were the white stripes of body paint and make-up that completely covered his bare skin and his long braided hair. As he played the yidaki, two men, similarly decorated as the yidaki player, slowly danced to the rhythm of their loud bilma (ironwood clapsticks).
Their dancing was something most people had probably never seen before. The dancers were light on their feet and did lots of deep knee-bending and pronounced, somewhat jerky shoulder movements as they progressed across the stage to the constant beat of their bilma. One of the dancers had a wireless mike strapped to his head into which he chanted and sang mesmerizing lyrics from indigenous Gumatj and Rirratjingu music.
The audience was captivated by the visual and musical talents of the traditionally-clad men. As the stage lights flashed red, the other band members took their places on the upper stage and the lead singer, Mandawuy Yunupingu and his two female backup singers entered.
The rest of the band was dressed in modern clothing, Mandawuy in black jeans and a blue button-down, which contrasted sharply with the traditionally painted dancers. The familiar strumming of electric guitars and the beat of modern drums blended with the methodical rhythms of the bilma and yidaki. The loud burst of music snapped the audience out of the trance induced by the previous song.
The songs were an exciting blend of Yolngu traditional culture and western pop-rock. The music was upbeat and easy to dance to, as the audience on the main floor demonstrated throughout the night.
The songs were fun and at the same time presented an educational message. Mandawuy has said: "We try to create a fusion, an interface from modern to traditional, from present to past. We always want to have balance with our music between the Yolngu and other Western ways so that the two correspond and appreciate one another."
After about an hour of modern songs, Yothu Yindi treated the audience to more of their Aboriginal music and dance. During this set, the people on the main floor sat down to watch and listen to the stories being told of Yolngu life. The audience seemed as enthusiastic after hearing the modern songs as they were after the traditional ones.
Yothu Yindi was challenged by the layout of the concert hall. The large, open floor area in front of the stage provided space for enthusiastic participants to stand up or dance, but those seated in the upper balcony observed from a distance without really interacting.
The audience was drawn from every age group, ranging from middle school to retirement-age. The majority were College students, but they did not dominate the scene.
Towards the end of the concert, when the band made their first exit, the audience was determined to clap and cheer them back on stage-they definitely wanted more of Yothu Yindi, who did a great job of enthralling everyone.
In the excitement of the encore, Mandawuy said the band will leave the Yothu Yindi spirit in Webster Hall to be remembered after it is transformed into a library.
Yothu Yindi is a new band with plenty of room to develop. The concept of blending the two musical styles and the two cultures, is unique and their intent to educate and to encourage tolerance and the celebration of cultural differences worldwide is an effort worth supporting.
