Uddevalla Solid Sound: "Darin charmed more people than teenage girls"

Darin Zanyar made a focused and stable achievement at Uddevalla Solid Sound. A sound and lights show that not only convinced the audience, but also the originally skeptical reviewer from Bohusläningen (newspaper).



Darin
Where: Stora scenen (The big stage)
When: Saturday, August 31


It's been nine years since Darin broke through in Idol. Nine years in which he has left his teenage life, stepped into the adult life and nowadays he's closer to 30 than 20. But his role as girls' favourite has been standing steady. That's something I get a deafening proof of when the 26-year-old shows his face for the Uddevalla audience and he gets greeted by sky-high voices. He is here for the people generally, but for the girls' scream particularly.

He has brought not only a nice stage, but also visual candy in shape of many lights and also an eight man big band. Two drummers, two choir guys, two guitarists and two synth-responsible. Together with this group he starts a well accomplished and carefully prepared pop show.


Darin begins with remnants as Step up, Want Ya and his break through-song Money For Nothing. The fact that he embraces his teenage self feels a little odd, but it hasn't happened much musically for Darin during the years, so the songs are convenient for him. Even though he, by then, hadn't reached the top.
The teenage cheering is always around the corner. If Darin only dries the sweat off his forehead or drinks some water the audience greets him with a cascade of screaming. And he's worthy of it, because it's clear that Darin actually makes as good effort as possible. The talking and the contact with the audience between the songs feels stiff, he is not basically a relaxed stage person, but it doesn’t really matter, because he is really trying. Certainly when he shyly explains that he is going to try something that he usually not does, then sits down by the piano and starts playing the intro of Surrender, only accompanied by himself. An exciting part that unfortunately is way too short.

Darin's voice is in top-class. In Surrender he gets forced to go up to his most high pitched r’n’b falsetto in a millisecond, which he does really good. In fact, Darin is most worth listening to when he has to challenge his vocal cords. But it works well apart from that too. The underestimated Runaway is pulsating, carries away and grows, whilst Lovekiller works effectively with stylistically pure bows and pumping lights, to be ended with very smarmy but fair enough irreproachable a capella singing.

Darin’s also got time for a small acoustic part and he has to perform Så Mycket Bättre songs as well. Beforehand it feels sleepy, but the Magnus Uggla-cover Astrologen becomes, funny enough, one of the highlights, when the light is on the audience and everyone - including the guys in the sound booth, sings nicely.

The concert isn't revolutionary in any way, not ”five out of five-good” and not magical. But Darin and his crew are focused and refuse to let the night in Uddevalla go to waste. Before the last song, (Nobody Knows) he asks the audience to approve to an Instagram photo. As a memory. It is reasonable, because Darin has every reason to be proud of his achievement. Especially since he charmed a tired reviewer.

Review by Hans Larson (hans.larson@bohuslaningen.se). Translated by Nathalie Pentler.