Siarhiej Mikhalok: Long live Belarus! Our time will come! (Video)

Thousands Belarusians came to Lapis’ concert in Vilnius.

The concert, at which the band presents its album Graj in Belarusian language, took place in Lithuania’s largest concert site - Siemens Arena. Around 11 thousand spectators came to see theconcert.

Since the very announcement of the concert there was agiotage around it: all the tickets sold in Belarus run out almost in two month before the event. Starting from yesterday huge queues formed at the border with Lithuania: people were not able to cross it in 15 hours.

Before the concert Siarhiej Mikhalok met charter97.org’s editor-in-chief Natalia Radzina and the web-site’s director Fiodar Pauluchenka. The leader of the Lapis Trubetskoj band received the national human rights prize “For personal courage”, awarded to him by the charter97.org web-site.

Siarhiej Mikhalok addressed the readers of our web-site:

“It seems to me that it is now very fashionable and usual to speak of artists “he tore the audience”, “it was a blast”. They words used are so military. I am sure that it is time for artists to “join the audience”, to consolidate people. There is the issue now of a division in the society. Many quarrel, argue about where to go – left or right. But the questions is different – whether to go back or forward. We stand for the Belarusians, who want to go forward, who want to see Belarus as an independent European country. We are not some marginal, we are no “lousy intelligentsia”, we are no fifth column, not CIA. Look at me, guys: would a serious special agent deal with a person like me? I would be glad to have such acquaintances. In the movie “Avengers” there was such an organization “Shield”. There was a person, who solved all the issues. I would gladly get to know him, would drink with him and explain how to establish peace and order.

To make it short, in our concerts we “join the public”, because the division is so serious that it is impossible to travel in the same train carriage with some people. We do not have such a borderline, such a watershed boundary like in Ukraine. We do not play underground or in flats. Rock-n-roll is a mass large scale culture. It should be there in stadiums, arenas, football fields and squares.

Long live Belarus!”

Drum Ecstasy band was first to enter the stage. A large number of white-red-white flags blew about the crowd. Incredible energy could be felt. The people chanted “Long live Belarus”. Many spectators were not able to get to the concert in time. The security did not manage the numbers of those, who wanted to get to the stadium.

A large European flag could immediately be noticed in the center of the audience. Banned at home, the national flags were held by every third spectator.

Drum Ecstasy played several songs. Waiting for Siarhiej Mikhalok the audience started chanting “Long live Belarus!” again and “Lapis!” and singing.

By tradition, the band started the concert with the song “Trubetskoj has come to us”. All the audience raised their hands. “Good evening!” – Lapis’ leader shouted and recited a poem starting with the words “It is no time for us to kneel down”. The following song was “Not to be cattle” with Janka Kupala’s lyrics. The whole audience sang along.

Then Lapis played Capital. The song was accompanied with the video shown on the large screen above the scene. It was followed by a new song in Belarusian, and then the Golden Antelope.

There was the atmosphere of ravishing freedom at the concert.

At times it was noticeable that Siarhiej Mikhalok’s voice, strained after the latest concerts, did not completely recover, but nevertheless he managed to charge his unprecedented energy into the thousands of spectators. The following songs – Africa, Moon, Dragon and Eagle – were all sang together. The Vilnius’ arena never saw anything like that.

The audience especially well received the song Iron. The whole audience sang along the line: “Why would I be afraid for my iron ass?”

As a sign of solidarity with Kiev’s EuroMaydan the spectators brought Ukrainian flags.

Together with old songs Siarhiej Mikhalok sang a couple relatively new.

“We would like for this concert today to be emotional and all our wild artistic instincts to be used in it. Everyone knows our views – they have not changed. If you truly believe, then, like in the 12 Months fairytale, snowdrops will blossom any season of the year, - Siarhiej Mikhalok said. – We want spring, we are sick of this eternal terrible winter”.

“This concert provides assuredness that Belarus will be free, and it will be soon”, - charter97.org web-site’s editor-in-chief Natalia Radzina said.

Siarhiej Mikhalok reminded of the brutal dispersion of the EuroMaydan, which took place at night.

“The gangrene begins to spread. It appeared in our home country, Belarus. Black spots then appeared in Russia, Kazakhstan and other territories of the former Soviet Union. You see what is happening! They call us fighters, lousy intellectuals, the fifth column and mention the CIA. Everyone here understands what I mean. They tell bullshit and don't feel ashamed. They don't only talk. They show us brutal force. They should know we are not outcasts but people who want to live in independent European countries. We don't want anyone to tell us how we should speak, what clothes we should wear, what flag and national anthem we should have. These dogs will run away with their tails between their legs if we speak it loudly and don't fear. Let's feel the joy of Mowgli escaping from red dogs! Let these dogs chasing us. We will cut their tails off! Our time will come! Long live Belarus! Long live Belarus! Long live Belarus,” - he shouted from the stage.

After that the song Graj went on, which was accompanied with a video made of the footage of the opposition protest dispersal.

Encored were the songs State by Egor Letov and Kill the Slave Inside You. In conclusion Siarhiej Mikhalok mentioned the TV show Game of Thrones and “the mean family” of Lannisters. “The winter may be long”, - he said, having urged to save the concert’s warm atmosphere. After that Lapis palyed the song Sun.

“Thank you, our ancient and almost native Vilnius! Almost native, because native would still be Minsk. Let’s go home”, - by these words Siarhiej Mikhalok finished the concert.

We would remind that the Lapis Trubetskoj band is banned in Belarus. Its leader was not able to come back home for a long time due to his critique of the authorities. In November Mikhalok had a son born, and he made a decision to come to him to Minsk.