Kryštof had their second Christmas at the O2 arena
“Hooray, concert!” And this time so positive that there was perhaps too much of a mess. But it was also a professional performance in every way, which every moment made sense. From two consecutive evenings of the Kryštof group, we went to the second of them. Ajdontker from Havířov preceded.
Live: Christopher
place: O2 arena, Prague
date: May 6, 2022
setlist: Right now (Come be the headlight), Halywod, I will dance, You and I, See you, I must not forget (Mom), I will buy the whole universe, Journey, Astronomers, Let’s go to Bethlehem, Piece by, Dreamland, Hearts will not go out, I dance a little bit, So come look for the shore, Vohul bass, Cords, Srdcebeat, I’m sinking into the sky, Cosmo $ hop, Advertisement, Stay here with me (For dreams), Christmas
© Martin Bambušek / MonsterMusic
The dress code of the evening was clearly given. White with red and ideally still with Santa’s cap. The Ostrava-Havířov party originally planned Christmas concerts due to the pandemic and have already thwarted their plans twice in the winter with tighter measures. And since the entire production stood on the duet with Karel Gott, we had no choice but to move the warmer months, in which the anti-pandemic measures are weaker, to see these performances. Kryštof has played many times in our largest hall and has always tried to make the most of her possibilities. Even on this tour, he left nothing to chance and started his show again with the arrival of Richard Krajč on the stands among the spectators. The frontman, in a red and white coat and a proper cap, stepped into his sleigh and let himself be brought to the podium to the great joy of those present. From there, the set began with “Right Now (Come Be the Spotlight)”, the best songs from the latest album “Halywůd”. If anything was evident from the concert, it was mainly an effort to make it all a little different than last time. And it worked. The long-term cooperation with ZL Production again brought several stars into sliced apples. There was a large screen on the stage with new, hilarious projections. In particular, the pink neon lights and roads traversing DeLorean have delighted many fans of the eighties. The light park rose almost to the ceiling, where a smaller screen, a disco ball and other cingles were great.
© Martin Bambušek / MonsterMusic
Kryštof respects the rules of pop bands in stadiums, and each song must have its own special element. By naming them we would be here until the next tour, so at least at random: in “Dance” the confetti snowed, in “See” the singer played the ukulele, in “I must not forget (Mom)” there was a small pyrotechnics and beautiful butterflies at the screening and in “Somehow I dance a little” giant balloons bounced over the people. There were also elements known from past strings. In “Dreamland”, the frontman swam up to the sound engineer to remember Karel Gott with the song “Hearts Don’t Go Out” he wrote for him. On the way back, he cut it through the galleries, met a neighbor, and sang “The Rain Merchant.” In the “Advertisement” there was a Mexican wave, and what happened during the “Cosmo $ hop”, perhaps there is no need to mention. Perhaps only the introduction of the song somehow failed them. If she is one of the fans who has spent most of her thirty years with her members and her music, you may have missed her departure from the melancholy known from the first albums for years. And this time the gentlemen at O2 did it ad absurdum – the jumble was probably too much. Not only that, since the inflatable balloons appeared above the audience, five songs in a row were played in a similar mood, which could be considered a dramaturgical overstepping. In addition, it did not disturb the spectators from the seats too much. But even in the ballads that the bands always went with, you could see how cheerful Richard Krajčo feels. Of course, we wish him the joy of playing in the halls, but he’s always an actor. So why couldn’t he put them in “You and me” or “The Way” with the proper experience that those songs need? Instead, laughing with fans or laughing between phrases for the whole round seemed inappropriate.
The effort for general and endless merriment was also seen in the setlist, which did not fit a number of older hits, and when you walk through christopher discography, you may be surprised, guaranteed assurances this time how many musicians missed. That is why they were all the more pleased to include the song “In Pieces”, which does not belong to their golden fund, but for rock fans this particular non-traditional step was a highlight of the whole dinner. What would the hard core of old fans have to do to get at least some samples representing their best album “Mikrokosmos” next time? Hard to say.
© Martin Bambušek / MonsterMusic
There would be more details that could be better. In “Halywud”, female vocals from half-playback might not sound, but live, in “Astronomers”, the guest Sima Martaus could arrive, without whom the song is half-hearted, and in “Christmas”, for example, Karel Gott could appear at least at the screening, when his voice sounded in the hall. But that doesn’t change the fact that it mainly succeeded. And that’s why even though you have seen Kryštof in O2 for the fourth time, you have witnessed something new and a little different this time as well. This was probably the main mission for which the seven-member form stayed at the neighboring Stages Hotel on Monday and in the evening until the weekend rehearsing until the weekend. And even thanks to this hard work, we have been winning on the radio for over twenty years. So like this – think what you want about her music. But it was this diligence and hard work that got her where she is now. That’s why I deserve respect.