Havel at Columbia

I enjoyed the evening immensely...it was a privilege.
Thank you.

More than a comment you may find at:

http://neviditelnypes.zpravy.cz/hudba-homo-undergroundicus-aneb-plastici-v-n-y-f4l-/p_kultura.asp?c=A061114_211517_p_kultura_wag

JES

Thank you allowing us to be part of this exciting and joyous event. They were in great form!

The Harriman Institute really outdid itself this time! Thanks for such a memorable event.

What an unusual band and immensely creative music, although I could not understand the lyrics and so missed the whole political impact of the performance, alas.

The merger of Zappa, Moon Dog, gypsy themes, improv jazz, heavy 60s bass riffs, and clunky, cheesy keyboards added up to a whole universe of plasticity! Sort of like Crazy Horse on heroin with a dash of Seatrain. The original musicians are still very sharp and impressive.

My wife couldn't stop dancing and my 10 year-old daughter was thrilled to be at her first "rock concert"!

Thanks so much for making this happen. Great venue too, and terrific waitress service.

It was good - I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't as good as the first time I saw them, in 1998 in L.A., still with Mejla Hlavsa, but that would be too much to ask for. I was a little dissapointed they didn't play 'Podivuhodny mandarin'.

Whether the music is good or not is a little besides the point here, though. This is the PPU we are talking about - the band that catalyzed the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia. Even if they sounded terrible, they would be worth seeing. I am really glad that the Harriman Institute gave us a chance to see this historically important and fun band!

Thank you so much for putting on this amazing show. Fantastic venue. Amazing band. Great atmosphere. All in all an unforgettable evening. Thanks!

Thanks so much for sponsoring this event. i have been a fan of the Plastic People for 30 since I first heard the Igon Bondy album that Amnesty International released. I saw them when they played new york in the early 90s at the Knitting Factory and now what a treat to see them more than a decade later. The show was terrific (better, imho, than the Knitting Factory show two nights later that I also attended). A privilege and an honor to see this important, fun and truly legendary band again. Thanks again to the folks at the Harriman Institute for sponsoring it.

I've seen the Plastics play a dozen times, but the Cutting Room performance was one of the best. There seemed to be a real connection between the band and the audience. With so much positive energy flowing, the band clearly enjoyed itself. The set list was quite interesting, giving a great overview of what the Plastics have been doing over the past 25+ years. While they did not play some of the songs you might expect (like Dvacet and Podivuhodny mandarin) they did reach back and pull out some great tunes that they rarely play, like Jsem absolutni vule, Apokalyptickej ptak and Okolo okna).The set list, for those of you kicking yourself in the pants for missing the show, went something like this: Sel pro krev, Moucha v rannim pive, Apokalpickej ptak, Nikdo, Okolo okna, Podvlikacky, Spac, Jsem absolunti vule, Moc jsem si neuzil and Kanarek. Encore songs: Elegie, Magicke noci, Mochomurky bily and Jo, to se ti to spi. There was a new song in between Okolo okna and Podvlikacky, which was written in the past year or so, according to keyboardist Josef Janicek. I don't know its name. And, for the record, guitarist Joe Carnation did not perform. He was taken ill after the tour of Russia that the Plastics had just completed. It's easy to fight about concert highlights, but, for me, it was during Mochomurky bily, when the audience sang (hummed?) the wordless chorus with the band -- a magical moment, I think. Believe me, this was a special concert and the Harriman Institute is to be commended for putting it together. Thanks, guys. JC Lockwood.

Thanks so much for this great event. We were happy that we had chance to take part at Cutting Room performance during our short visit to N.Y.