Whether it was at the Bank of Cyprus, or at the airport, at private dinners or at an Oakleigh cafe, everyone wanted a piece of Michalis Hatzigiannis this past week. Phone calls, gossip and hearsay left everyone playing a game of where’s Hatzi?
One of Greece’s biggest pop sensations, Hatzigiannis was in Melbourne as part of the third Australian tour of his career. After quickly selling out two shows in Melbourne, a third was also added at the eleventh hour to satisfy extra demand. His Melburnian fan base came out in full force at the new Pavilion in Flemington, with revelers at the Saturday night concert far younger than is typical at Greek concerts here.
His pop music and fresh-faced look also attract a younger audience in Greece. The Pavilion is more of a party venue, encouraging dancing in its bouzoukia-style setting. This concert was a party from the word ‘go’, with Hatzigiannis working the stage from the very start. He spent much of the time encouraging the audience to get up on their feet and sing along, spoon-feeding the lyrics to the enamored crowd who sang back to him in unison.
‘Heria Psila’ is obviously his biggest crowd pleaser, and he repeated it twice more during the night, each time to a sea of people with their hands in the air. He had his definite go-to songs to guarantee a big response and they had the desired effect every time. The most zealous fans were intent on jumping on stage, even though security would repeatedly escort them off within nanoseconds.
His strength is in his swoon-worthy ballads, and his performance of ‘Party’ had everyone singing and swaying to his honeyed voice. ‘To Kalokairi Mou’, one of the biggest summer anthems in Greece last year, transported everyone back to the Greek islands (for those lucky enough to have been there) and proved to be one of the highlights of the night. Unlike most singers who come out from Greece, Hatzigiannis chose not to do covers of classic Greek songs that usually get the crowd twirling in ‘zembekika’ and ‘tsiftetelia’.
Probably because he leans more toward pop and ‘entehno’ style music, rather than ‘laiko’, and caters to a younger audience. All in all, the concert was entertaining and high energy, and there was a lot of love in the room. Hatzigiannis repeatedly told the audience how much he loved visiting Melbourne. Judging by the number of fans pleading with security for a chance to meet the star after the show, Melbourne loves him right back.