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DEVOTEES of the 'queen' of Arabic music snapped up tickets for Fayrouz's much-anticipated return concert at the Arad Fort next Wednesday within two hours of them going on sale on Sunday.
Bahraini music-lovers fondly recall the singer's first inspirational sell-out appearance at the venue 21 years ago and believe she will have lost none of her magic.
Housewife Hana Al Khatib, 48, of Tubli, said: "I have always been a fan of Fayrouz. She has a beautiful voice and wonderful charisma. Her theatrical work is also phenomenal.
"Her new musical in Syria known as "Sah el- Nom" was described as amazing and I hope Fayrouz performs some of the numbers from the show in Bahrain. But, we are also going with a huge group of friends to hear her classics."
Saleh Radhi, 50, sourcing manager of Orange Business Services, who lives in A'ali, added: "I am very excited about going to her concert. Both the younger and older generations love her for her style and melodic voice.
"She has an authentic style that will never grow tired. The beauty about Fayrouz is that she doesn't sing about just anything, there is meaning to her lyrics and she uses powerful words to convey her message. She is a true poet.
"She sings about beauty, love and for her country. People love her patriotism and can relate to her even more."
When the performer stepped out on stage in Bahrain back in 1987, Gulf Daily News reviewer Layla Hassan reported the following day that the entertainer had "outshone the stars" on a moonlit night of music.
"Thousands of fans were held spellbound as she performed old favourites and new songs in a concert which was a first for Bahrain," she wrote.
"As she stepped on stage in a blue and gold Lebanese dress, the audience clapped wildly shouting "Queen!" to the most sought after female singer in the Arab world."
To millions her songs inspire images of the Lebanese countryside, its people and its history. To her own people, Fayrouz is known as the 'soul of Lebanon'.
Her repertoire on her celebrated first performance at Arad Fort included melodies written by her late husband. Many of the lyrics were penned by famous Arab poets.
San Franciscan Violette Yacoub, an Iraqi-born president of the Forum for International Art and Culture, was behind organising Fayrouz's successful tours of the US in the 1970s and 1980s and explained why the artiste's appeal has grown stronger over the decades. Her first concert was in 1952.
"Vocally she has always been compared to Edith Piaf," he said. But in terms of how she is regarded in the Middle East, I would say a combination of Bob Dylan and the late Judy Garland.
"Judy Garland, because of the great love Fayrouz's audiences has for her and their massive outpourings of affection. And Bob Dylan, because the audience listens closely to the lyrics she sings and puts a lot of stock in them."
Another huge success was a massive concert at the Las Vegas MGM Grand Arena in 1999 which broke box-office sales records and was attended by more than 16,000 Lebanese who flocked to the city from all over the American continent and Europe.
Fayrouz, now 72, works exclusively with her composer son Ziad, and her fans in Bahrain cannot wait to see her perform once more at Arad Fort.
