On the evening of August 15, celebrating the Žolinė holiday, the fourth performance of the concert series “Palanga Park Evenings” took place in Birutė Park in Palanga. The band “8 Kambarys” together with guitarist Džiugas Juzėnas held a promised very open, sensitive, and simple acoustic concert on stage. This format allowed not only the fans’ favorite songs to be revealed but also the performers themselves – without the usual concert noise, large instrument arrangements, or other stage elements. Deividas Alejūnas and Karolis Talutis unanimously affirm that the close connection with the audience helped them dispel the initial nervousness, and the evening’s atmosphere exceeded even their own expectations.
“It was a magical evening. At first, we felt a kind of obligation created by the Palanga Count Tiškevičius Palace and the dressed-up audience gathered for the concert, but when we stepped on stage and felt the audience – we relaxed. The energy of the people allows you to understand how you can behave, and this time it radiated magic that we only had to reflect like a mirror. Because no matter what we plan, in the acoustic concert format we appear as ourselves. We are not covered by any band or instruments. We are simply who we are,” the guys shared their emotions after the performance.
It is precisely the liveliness and the opportunity to show their true faces on stage that are one of the most important parts of the acoustic format for the members of “8 Kambarys.” Here, according to them, there is no need to strive for perfect sound or hide unexpected mistakes. On the contrary, they become part of a real and unrehearsed meeting with the audience, so Deividas is even convinced that such openness can not only bring the performer closer to the audience but also encourage others to start creating.
“When you see performers you listen to and like making mistakes on stage, you realize that it is completely normal. People are used to seeing perfection, hearing corrected notes and polished speeches, but we are for liveliness. Not being a performer, I would get inspiration from that, so we ourselves, going on stage, believe that maybe we will inspire others to start creating. Even one or two people,” the musician hopes.
Deividas’ thought is continued by Karolis, who notes that the courage to be yourself on stage did not come immediately. More than a decade of accumulated experience gradually changed their own attitude towards what a performer should be on stage and what the audience expects from him. The group’s previous desire to perform everything perfectly is now replaced by the understanding that sincerity and a real connection are much more important to the listener.
“Being yourself in front of the audience inspires us too. Earlier, we might have felt constrained that we had to speak nicely and without mistakes on stage, but accumulating experience in the music business, we begin to understand that you really don’t need anything – just be yourself, because that is exactly why people come to concerts, that is exactly why they like us. Through acoustic concerts, we want to show that we are people, imperfect and not afraid to admit it,” Karolis confesses.
The guys do not hide that such performances are a free creative space for them where new ideas are born. Although “8 Kambarys” does not currently plan a separate acoustic album, the musicians reveal that they have ideas to continue and expand this concert direction. Karolis even hints that in the future, the live, unrehearsed sound of performances could be recorded.
“So far, we have not planned to release only an acoustic album, but we are definitely developing the ideas of this concert format. On September 11, we will perform in Vilnius with a larger set of instruments, and in the future, we might really record songs in this sound. It would be really interesting for us because the same songs sound different acoustically. Maybe we would even record them with our conversations, people’s reactions, and all the natural mistakes that only happen live on stage,” Karolis considers.
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The guys who performed in Palanga say they visit the seaside not only during concerts. For Karolis, Palanga is most beautiful when the summer hustle is replaced by calm, although, according to him, the resort’s character is created by both these contrasting faces.
“I really like coming to Palanga not in the summer, especially in winter or spring when there is calm here. I appreciate the sea, dunes, and pine forest of this resort, but the hustle and bustle of J. Basanavičius Street also has its own charm,” says Karolis.
Meanwhile, Deividas chooses a completely different Palanga. For him, this resort is inseparable from the summer hustle, crowds of people, and traditions formed over many years.
“I am a ‘Basankė’ person. I like street musicians, boxing pear machines, waffles sold in kiosks, the whole atmosphere there, and the tradition of going all the way to the end of the Palanga pier and coming back because every time you come to Palanga, you just have to do it,” admits Deividas.
The week-long musical evenings in Birutė Park in Palanga are approaching the finish. On August 16, Vaidas Baumila will hold the last concert of this summer’s “Palanga Park Evenings” on the terrace of the Palanga Amber Museum.
Tickets for the concert can be found at the link: https://kakava.lt/festivalis/119/palangos-parko-vakarai
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