Yasmine Hamdan, an outspoken Lebanese pop singer, has become one of the voices I’m most interested in hearing these days. She’s remarkable: a Middle Eastern icon with some of the most hypnotic but politically-charged songs I’ve ever heard, and one who also appears in Jim Jarmusch films. When I listen to her songs (“Beirut” is another favorite, see below), I feel myself being drawn into her world slowly, unsure of where I’m being taken, but glad to be along for the ride. For the past few months, I wondered if the powers that be in the State Department would find a way to keep an outspoken, Middle Eastern out of the country for this tour. Thankfully that doesn’t appear to be the case and now seeing Yasmine Hamdan in concert, like Thursday night at the Crocodile, feels like an act of defiance against the Trump presidency. These days, it’s a good feeling.
{Yasmine Hamdan plays at the Crocodile on Thursday, November 9. All ages. Tickets can be found here.}
