Sebastian are better and better live. They played for life at the Rock Café
After Brno and Liberec, the group Sebastian led by the singer of the same name visited Prague to present their current concert face. An hour and a half long performance in the heated Rock Café club confirmed that she was headed in the right direction. It was a powerful experience for musicians and listeners.
Live: Sebastian
place: Rock Café, Prague
date: October 16, 2022
set list: Dust, Bestseller, Space, Rescue point, Foreigner, When it comes down to it, Face and face, All it takes is a little, I’m so good, Steps, LALALA, Looking for, Spare parts, Wanderer, Your name, Where were you yesterday, Flights, Our world
Years ago, Sebastian Navrátil received criticism for his first concerts. It was a period when, thanks to the hits “Polety” and “Toulavá”, he became a star almost overnight. Since then, it has been constantly moving forward – both in repertoire and in live presentation. He surrounded himself with excellent musicians, each of whom is a personality in his own right, and together they have been presenting themselves as a band in recent years.
© kuppyfotografie
In the Rock Café, as in the previous stops of the short tour, they were preceded by Pam Rabbit, and then the main attraction came about twenty minutes behind schedule. However, the musicians made up for the wait with an energetic and hearty performance. Right at the beginning, the song “Prach” was played, which, according to the ratings, is one of the most popular in Sebastian’s repertoire. It was an unusual start, because it is not often seen that a guest appears on the stage immediately in the opening song – in this case rapper Lipo, not only a performer, but also a co-author of a dynamic hit.
© kuppyfotografie
Live, the difference between Sebastian’s older compositions and the current ones stood out nicely. Those from the first group such as “Vesmírná”, “Záchranný bod” or “Až to pridje” maintained a warm mood, encouraged singing and good mood, but at the same time they were quite similar to each other. They were an integral part of the setlist, but the concert was not based on them. Contemporary creation, on the other hand, offers far greater variety and charge. When the group included the catchy “Cizinka” from their latest album “Rub a lic” as the fifth item, they are currently the second most played song on Spotify, the audience immediately reacted to this change of pace and the mood thickened. The club was filled with choir singing, which was later repeated in the pieces “Rub a líc” or the chamber “Stačí jen nálo”, accompanied only by an acoustic guitar. It was not shallow pop, it had added value in the form of pure emotions.
The unexpected trump card was the non-single track “Kroky”, which, due to its internal tension, fit perfectly into the setlist. Sebastian and his colleagues moved it up a level compared to the album version with their grip in the hyped-up hall.
© kuppyfotografie
It is this ability that is the prerogative of competent concert bands, among which this group has already ranked. From the studio interchangeable piece “Tvý mnémo” he can make a song above average on the stage, then he elevates the slightly experimental darkened track “LALALA” to the peak of the concert, which literally hypnotizes the audience. And the current single “Hledám” is also worth highlighting, which tastefully brings the band together with a modern concept of pop. We would find two contradictory moments – and they concerned the host performers. Jakub Děkan came on stage for the song “Mám se tak fajn”, which did not fit the atmosphere of the evening at all, it was a downgrade from quality pop production to folk entertainment at that moment.
© kuppyfotografie
Sebastian commented on the appearance of the Romstar Vyškov group, which sang for example with Michal David, saying that “we’re going to fuck off”. If we were to evaluate the disco song “Kde si včera byl” according to the ovation publication, then it was a great success, but redeemed by an unnecessary slide into pop. It would be a shame if these criticisms, which include a weaker sound, but otherwise an extremely positive impression left by the performance at the Rock Café. It was very easy to captivate him, during the course it stood on the eloquent speech of the music and the merging of the band with the fans, which took the dinner into high gear. The singer himself also felt this connection, and at the end he was momentarily overcome with emotion when he admitted that in recent years he sometimes doubted whether he should continue his singing career. This concert is said to have convinced him that it has meaning. One can’t help but agree with his words.