Concert Review: Sid Sriram Is A Philosopher At National Sawdust
As Sid Sriram tussled between English, Tamil, and Telugu, I was fascinated by how much a feeling translates a language. There were several moments when I had no idea what he was singing, but, to his crowd, he was speaking to their soul. The result was an epiphany that humbled me.
There are truths you know and the ones you realize. I know representation matters, but, at National Sawdust, Sid’s performance showed that you need others to represent you as you learn to represent yourself. From our family to our community, we have so many teachers of “identity,” and, for Sid, our relationships are like living symbols of who we are. We cannot escape how a lover or an ex, our individuality or a community, God or The Devil, shape how we are seen or see ourselves. Whether he is singing to the dark times we are in or simply riffing on a note while he encourages the crowd to party, Sid is all about including and elevating the human experience, which explains why representation MATTERS!
Sid has a voice that waves like a flag as he sings to themes of surrender and submission to what we cannot understand. Hence, for me, the most powerful moment was when he sang the song 2 AM: dedicated to his passed aunt. As his voice rippled like winds caressing his vocal seams, he kept on repeating the verse, “Where Do You Go?” Often, he takes a phrase and repeats it as if it has hypnotized them, but this verse was powerful because it came from the meeting of love and fear. When you love someone they become a a physical manifestation that you can love and be loved. Yet, when you lose them, they become a spiritual emblem, and that is when your faith that your love is real must compensate for how you can no longer access it through your physical senses.
Sid Sriram’s concert felt like a cross between a party and philosopher’s discussion. He can make you sway under rhythms that feel like they are moving you back and forth, and then light you up like a rocket ready to jump from earth. The result is a show that makes you deeply think and then happily lose your mind, all at once. For More Information On Sid Sriram Click Here.
