After a few days of pure relaxation, I was ready to face the world again. It was Saturday night and I took myself to the Kentro Athinon bouzoukia. A bouzoukia is a Las Vegas-type night club: loud, glitzy, ostentatious—but Greek style. They typically feature 2-3 top performers of traditional Greek music, along with some backup singers and/or dancers, and a crazy light or multimedia show. Shows are booked as residencies for several months at a time. During previous years, performances took place 5-6 days weekly, but this year the average number of weekly shows was 2-3.
At about 1 am, I took myself to hear Konstantinos Argyros and Despoina Vandi and the show was NOT a disappointment. I was on my feet for 4 hours. The singer took turns regaling us with their own hits as well as popular covers. The big spenders paid for trays of red carnation heads to be tossed up in the air over the performers’ heads—a Greek tradition intended to replace the more dangerous one of plate smashing.