Basta concert at the Olympic Olympic Stadium, how many people are there? Basta gathered a record number of spectators at the Olympic
He became the first rapper to collect “Olympic”. A year ago, Basta, as part of a traditional birthday concert, played two sold-out shows with an orchestra at the State Kremlin Palace.
It seemed that there was nowhere to grow further, but at the end of last year another performance was announced at the Olimpiyskiy, in which it was decided to remove the ceilings, opening up a 360-degree all-round view. At first it was planned to gather 25 thousand people, but as a result, on the eve of the concert, a sold-out was announced with a figure of 35 thousand spectators. On a rainy Saturday evening, this figure, admittedly, did not inspire any optimism - many still remember the recent crush at the entrance to the DDT concert. However
Vakulenko, as an organizer, did the obvious - he opened more entrances and organized a meeting of the public with the help of a hundred or so volunteers.
As a result, the concert, which was supposed to start on time - exactly at 19.00 - was still delayed by half an hour, but by this time most of the spectators calmly and comfortably entered inside. Basta's appearance on the stage installed in the center of the hall was arranged with intensity worthy of a decisive boxing match. After a thunderous instrumental introduction, Vakulenko appeared on stage, running across the entire stalls, surrounded by security, and
began the concert with the song “I Look at the Sky” from last year’s album “Basta 5”, the songs from which the current program is centered around.
This is logical: the fifth album is not only the artist’s latest work, but also the most clear demonstration of his creative ambitions, which are aimed at
assimilation of hip-hop into the fertile soil of rock and art songs.
That is why the first part of the concert was dedicated to semi-acoustic numbers, among which was a hypnotic cover of the song “Native” by the Kalinov Most group.
Another thing is that such material assumes a more intimate setting and requires sensitivity from the listener, which is difficult to demand from a crowd of 35 thousand. In this regard, the audience, of course, sang in chorus, but Vakulenko had to achieve the appropriate buildup from the Muscovites, using all his showman skills. At some point on stage again (this has already become a good tradition), a guy who had returned from the army proposed to his chosen one; in the finale, Basta’s daughter Masha came on stage - and this was in addition to the masterful management of a giant choir and lengthy runs around the stage. At the same time, the artist had to deal with the sound both on stage (with the ear monitors turned off) and in the giant bowl of the Olympic Stadium. These difficulties somewhat blurred the impression of the concert and made it largely
the mood of a great sporting feat.
If we try to analyze this success, it turns out that everything rests on the powerful figure of Vakulenko himself, who rushed about under the gaze of the Olympic Stadium for two hours. In addition to musical and artistic talents,
Basta managed to earn a colossal amount of trust, becoming a hero for very different people, which they had not had almost since the days of Balabanov’s “Brother.”
With the clear difference that Vakulenko is not the product of a producer or author's genius. Another analogy can be drawn. In 1974, after a young concert at the Theater, music critic Jon Landau wrote the legendary phrase: “I saw the future of rock and roll and its name is Bruce Springsteen.” Let’s not be so arrogant as to make plans for the future, but thanks to Vakulenko, the musical present in this country looks very promising for the first time in the last couple of decades.
And he sang “Sansara” with his daughter and Diana Arbenina
Rostov rapper Vasily Vakulenko, better known as Basta, on Saturday, April 22, gave the most big concert in Moscow. 35 thousand fans of the musician’s work gathered at the Olimpiysky sports complex. The 360 concert became an absolute record both for the venue and for Russian performers - before Basta, no Russian artist had ever filled the completely circular arena of the Olympic Stadium.
Photo from Basta's Instagram
During the concert, Basta performed 26 compositions that became hits. The rapper’s performance ended with a joint performance of the new song “Sansara” with Diana Arbenina and the children’s choir. In addition, Vasily Vakulenko brought his eldest daughter Masha onto the stage for the first time, who also sang “Samsara”.
Later on his Instagram, Vasily Vakulenko thanked the organizers and guests of the concert for their support.
“We thank everyone who was with us today - for coming, for the tremendous support, for the emotions and sincerity. Thanks to all those who were unable to attend the concert - we have you, and we will definitely see you at another time and in another place,” Basta wrote on his Instagram.
Let us remind you that this is not the first time that the rapper has broken records for the scale of his concerts. At the celebration of City Day in Rostov, Basta gathered more than 120 thousand fans on Teatralnaya Square.
Concert rap
Vasily Vakulenko, known as Basta, performed at the capital's Olimpiysky sports complex. Boris Barabanov appreciated the organization of this sold-out concert and sang the rapper’s main hits with 35 thousand spectators.
In itself, the rapper’s performance at the largest indoor arena in Moscow is not a sensation. Vasily Vakulenko made his debut here two years ago. Timati also performed here, and Oksimiron’s concert is planned in the fall. The use of all the stands at the Olympic Stadium was a sensation.
Usually, when they say that a musician “packed the Olympic Stadium,” this means that only half of the stadium was sold out. While the second half is most often closed by a collapsible wall, and 17-18 thousand spectators are allowed into the hall. Sometimes, as at DDT or Zemfira concerts, the stage is moved as far away from the stands as possible, then 25-30 thousand tickets can be sold for the concert. But so far only the organizers of tours of foreign stars like Metallica and Muse have decided to make a round stage and fill the hall as much as possible. According to information from the creative association Gazgolder, which is involved in all of Basta’s projects, 35 thousand people gathered at the Olimpiysky on Saturday.
But selling 35 thousand tickets is half the battle. We also need to make sure that each of the spectators feels comfortable, which means at least not spoiling his mood by having to stand in queues to enter. Otherwise, an unpleasant aftertaste may remain even from the best shows, as was the case after DDT’s recent performance (see Kommersant on March 7).
It is generally accepted among promoters that Olimpiysky has a conservative and intractable management and it is almost impossible to agree with them on a deviation from the rules that have been in force for decades. "Gazgolder" managed not only to gather a maximum of spectators in the hall, but also to open large cargo entrances, which has never happened in the memory of the Kommersant observer. In addition, 150 volunteers who knew the answers to all questions regarding the order of passage and seating in the hall helped the spectators find their way around the Olimpiyskiy. Finally, concession stands with drinks and snacks were set up right on the dance floor. All this would be taken for granted at any similar site in any large European city, but not in Moscow. This is a real breakthrough here.
Basta began the performance with compositions from his latest album "Basta 5". And right away from those that belong to the category of songs “for life”: “I look at the sky”, “Partisan”, “Where we are not”. From time to time, the rapper gives concerts with an orchestra, and they are addressed largely to an adult audience - one that subconsciously recognizes him as the new Leps for those who do not listen to Leps. There was no orchestra at the Olimpiyskiy, but there were quite a few instrumentalists and backing vocalists on stage, which provided a sense of scale and cool. The arrangements included a lot of electric guitars, which surprised those viewers who do not closely follow Basta’s work. It was interesting to watch how these electric guitars sound in Alexander Galich’s song “Devil” and in the new arrangement of “Casting”.
By the middle of the concert, Basta got to the songs in which he usually reveals himself as a master of recitative. Moving towards greater melodiousness and melodiousness, he still has not yet reached that level of voice control that would allow him to build an entire concert on “vocal” material. It is very difficult to create a clear sound in the Olimpiysky sports complex, so Basta pulled out the concert using his own energy. This helped to cope with both the peculiarities of acoustics and the diversity of arrangements.
Perhaps the talent for stylization is Vasily Vakulenko’s main talent. During the concert, he demonstrated an understanding of a wide variety of music - ranging from a Caucasian restaurant ("Mama") to Rage Against The Machine ("Ice"). Such a palette is unlikely to be mastered by any other of our rappers. And it is she who gives Basta the opportunity to address a wide variety of audiences.
At the very end of the concert, Vasily Vakulenko played “Graduation (Medlyachok)” - a song that last year instantly secured his place on the pop charts and on the waves of “folk” radio stations. The audience selflessly, almost with tears in their eyes, rejoiced at this courtyard composition with a chorus performed in a deliberately orphan timbre. For a second it seemed that this was what Basta did best. And even the final “Sansara,” an impeccable stadium hit, performed by Diana Arbenina and Vasily’s daughter Masha, did not completely dispel this feeling.
