Guitarist Døvydas set up his mixing desk in a performance location that was a world away from his usual spots. Døvydas has made a name for himself online with his street performances and collabs with passersby, but this time he decided to take his mixing desk into a nursing home to offer residents an afternoon of entertainment. One audience member then asked if he could join in with his flute, resulting in a performance Music Man readers would never expect.
The 100-year-old nursing home resident asked Døvydas if he could play blues in C. Døvydas quickly agreed, building up a bluesy guitar track on his looper. Then, the resident came to stand next to him and joined in with an impressive blues flute performance. The two musicians were completely in sync, and then the performance took yet another twist when another resident got up to sing with them. Online viewers praised the performance.
I found it very touching to see these two generations of musicians completely on the same page with an improvised performance. It reminded me of how music can bring people together in unexpected ways. I especially loved seeing the reaction of the other nursing home residents. Many of them clapped along during the musical performance, and pairs began getting up to dance along. The joy the musicians brought to that room was palpable, even watching through a screen.
Music Man fans will love to see how the rest of Døvydas’ set inspired his audience members to dance and sing along. When he launched into a cover of ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ by Johnny Cash, which suddenly transitioned into ‘That’s All Right’ by Arthur Crudup, it was clear that his listeners were familiar with the songs. Multiple listeners started to sing along to the songs, the lyrics coming back to them in an instant, while others couldn’t resist getting up to dance along to the classics.
It’s joyful to see these kinds of performances, which encourage people to take part and get involved in the music being played. Whether it’s getting up to share their unexpected flute skills or getting up to dance along to the music, the audience’s involvement in the concert made it particularly special. There is no doubt that the flute player and singer who got up to join Døvydas can certainly hold their own in the talent department. Who knows, they might end up playing a regular spot in the nursing home after this.