5 Metro stations, 5 musical shows: How Dubai musicians serenaded a crowd on the move

The Dubai Metro Musical Festival is back — and how. The week-long initiative kicked off on Wednesday, showcasing performances by talented local and international musicians across five Metro stations in the city.

Khaleej Times hit all five stations — from Expo 2020 Dubai, Jebel Ali and Mall of the Emirates to BurJuman and Union — to catch the acts. And we were not disappointed.

Our journey began on Wednesday at 4pm from the Expo 2020 Metro Station. There, we met Ecuadorian musician, Jose Luis Torres, who enthralled the crowd with the sheer number of instruments he used during his performance.

His main instruments were the guitar and the Antara, a wind instrument, also known as Siku. The flute-like instrument is much like the Andean Panpipe and it is commonly used is a musical genre known as Sikuri.

Commuters of all ages gathered around Torres, cheering him on while recording his performance on their mobiles. “It was a perfect send-off for us after a long, tiring day at the Expo 2020," said a couple visiting the world fair along with their kids.

Similar high-octane scenes were noted at the other four Metro stations. At our next stop, which was the Jebel Ali Metro Station, we saw a large crowd had already gathered to watch a performance by twin sisters Meera and Jeeda Hallak.

The Syrian expats study at Deira International School and have been performing in the UAE for the last 12 years.

“Playing for a crowd on the move — not just a stagnant one — is a challenge. We have to capture their attention in an instant to make them stop and listen to us,” said Meera.

Jeeda, who was grateful for the encouragement from commuters, said the public 'lifted [their] spirits'. “The commuters were amazing. We received a very good response.”

Bidding them farewell, we continued our journey. Next stop: Mall of the Emirates Metro Station.

By the time we arrived, a crowd had already gathered to listen to French musician Christophe Servas. We could tell he had his audience's attention, because - unlike his counterparts - Servas was performing with musical instruments made from highly unusual materials.

We're talking flutes made out of an axe, commode brush, drain pump, and a watering can! The creative artist had even transformed a rear-view mirror from a car into a mouth organ.

The air was thick with anticipation as the surprised crowd watched Servas take the stage without musical instruments in hand - at least, not conventional ones they were familiar with anyway.

As soon as he began making music with his strange-looking instruments though, they were spellbound. While some passersby stopped to watch, others pulled out their phones to record the show.

Here he is, gearing up to perform:

ayaz@khaleejtimes.com