Well, first the nice. Lenny’s concert was preceded by a long wait and anticipation for the next milestone he would conquer on his way. She had all the prerequisites for that. The good record “Weird & Wonderful”, to which, during all the postponements, the younger and even better sibling “Heartbreak Culture” was added, to which the program had to be gradually adapted. The great reactions to the new album could also be attributed to Lenka’s years of praise for her live performances, in which both she and her band put a lot of energy into, as the international audience at the Hungarian Sziget recently could see for themselves. And if we take it step by step, the concert at the O2 universe started promisingly, the Danish singer-songwriter Remme and his band were a nice young discovery that you can recognize from the broadcasting of Europe 2. After all, even the singer himself was surprised when he was driving a taxi in Prague and heard himself sound from the radio. Only the screens on the sides were missing from the roughly half-hour show, because it’s still true that bands performing here should learn to drive. Otherwise, the audience watching the concert from the sidewalks opposite will never have many of them.

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Unfortunately, there were not many of those spectators. The hall was about half full, which is definitely disappointing after an advertising campaign that has lasted for several years. We can speculate about the reasons: the pandemic, inflation, an audience that lacks a cultural deficit already caught up in the spring and summer, or the fact that Lenny does not sing in Czech. Personally, I’d prefer her to stick with English and prefer not to mention this factor at all, however, looking at the sold-out O2, there are her colleagues who would ignore the obvious factor by turning a blind eye to reality. But everyone who tries it here in English is aware of it, starting with Lake Malawi and maybe ending with Deaf Heart or MYDY. Music writers like to praise them, but none of them will probably go to the biggest Czech hall for their solo concert right away, which is of course a shame. But our market is already like that. But all that is secondary now. The important thing is that they are all continuous vessels. If not enough tickets are sold, it is usually not possible to put on a breathtaking show. And she was terribly missed here. Like this – the musical component was excellent, Lenny sang beautifully, she composes more and more sophisticated songs and even the speeches for the publication are getting better. And most importantly, you can see that she is a big heartthrob and she cares about all of this very much. Therefore, if that was the main thing you came to the O2 universe for, you had to be satisfied, because the core, which is what it’s all about, was there and it was strong.

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The problem is that I get all this from Lenny on a regular basis. In the club, at festivals, anywhere. It is this high standard that ranks her among our best and most popular singers, and mainly because of it we all love her. But this was the O2 universe. A big, special concert that had to show something extra. A bar to cross. And unfortunately it didn’t work out. Where did all the lasers, confetti, musical guests, projections, crazy outfits, cameramen filming the singer for non-existent screens, backing vocalists, audience participation in games, loops or even curves in the form of dancers go? Yes, we can argue about how much specific things fit Lenny or not, but when does something extra strike an audience if not right here? That’s what we came up with, that’s why we were there. To get something extra that we won’t see and hear on a regular tour throughout the year. After all, something like “Plastic Flowers” is such an excellent song that it truly calls itself a special one. So many things could be invented for that!

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Matyáš Vorda was in charge of the “extra” here, and unfortunately he didn’t come up with anything very clever. The rectangular elevation for the band, the lights at the edges of the stage and above it a large, tilted square full of lights were anything but a stage design worthy of this space. It looked poor, empty, and above all, still kind of the same. Once the lights were white, the second time red, the third time green, the fourth time rainbow, a few flames lit up and that was about it. However, a few specials appeared after all, even if they were not without reservations. The only guest was, unsurprisingly, Marpo, whose microphone was not turned on in the first verse, he was not very well understood in the second, and in addition, he chose his typical bulldog aggressiveness for his performance, during which he jumps like in his matches in the ring and has his hands as if he wanted to punch someone. But it didn’t suit the single “Easy”, where his life partner sings the choruses. Here it needed a more sensitive delivery.

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On the contrary, a more aggressive concept was needed for the cover of “The Pretender” by Foo Fighters, which was a great choice of song, however, Ondřej Fiedler’s guitar could be heard weakly, and the twenty-nine-year-old artist’s hoarse voice is not as strong as Dave Grohl’s. And speaking of major league stars, Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park, who produced the single “Lithium” for the protagonist, appeared in a short greeting, that was very nice. As well as a huge wing covered in flowers raised in the air, with which the singer sang the ballads “Forever” and before that “Friends For Life”, which was the most beautiful moment of the evening. By the way, it was Remme who brought her together for the album.

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In the very finale, even during “Hell.o”, they showered the audience with inflatable balloons, but since it only concerned the first rows, it only underlined the cheap impression of the whole show that remained in the audience. It’s no wonder that they sat stunned the whole time, so there’s no way to talk about an exciting atmosphere. Hopefully Lenny at least managed to cover the costs. But he probably won’t remember his first show at the O2 Universe fondly. This was all too common.