Last evening’s Friends Help Friends Benefit was a night to remember for music lovers in Thailand. The event was held at Rock Zone and featured a lineup of talented Thai musicians who played in support of fellow musicians in need [khun Hu and khun Toch]. The audience was generous in their donations and the vibe was electric. From the first band of young Thai musicians, who were playing one of their very first gigs in public, to the final Thai band that had the whole place jumpin’ with their Isaan Dance music and everything in-between…the night was very, very special indeed.
The event kicked off with Sompoht Band, who brought their signature funk sound to the stage. Miss Nam Wan was at her best singing and entertaining the audience. Thairish Band surprised everyone by going semi-acoustic, unplugged but as usual Un, Lek and Boy totally killed it.
But the highlight of the evening was the 5-piece unit of outstanding Thai musicians called The Entertainment Band [Wong Gan Bantheon]. They delivered a 35-minute set of Thai rock songs with great passion and superb musicianship. These guys are really tight and their repertoire of Thai rock songs was a refreshing change from the usual Western music played at such events.
Next up was JR Band, who owned the crowd with great songs, both Thai and Western, and with excellent stage presence and showmanship. Following the JR Band, the 491 Blues Band made their Rock Zone debut and added a great dose of their clever mix of uptempo blues and blues rock songs featuring guitar, keyboard and harmonica solos throughout their set. They did themselves proud indeed.
The evening ended with a very surprising musical event. While waiting for The Answer’s guitarist Tor to arrive from his prior gig, Sek and Cha of Crazy Bull Band joined Joker, Tham and Petch from The Answer for 4 songs that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. The night was a testament to the talent and passion of Thai musicians and their ability to come together for a good cause.
