Konstantinos Argiros is one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, Greek music superstar right now. With countless hits to his name, best-selling albums – including 2022’s ‘22’ – and millions of streams, he’s a huge deal in his home country. Recently the star has been touring the globe, sharing his music with audiences across the world and last night he arrived at London’s Royal Albert Hall with his Symphony Orchestra. Performing at the venue has been a long-time dream of Argiros’ and it’s safe to say the night is one he won’t forget for the rest of his life.
Full disclaimer, I’ve only become acquainted with Argiros and his music in the past few months. A keen language learner myself and a fan of plenty of music from across the world, Greece is a country I’ve never really explored. Upon learning of Argiros and his huge impact on music in his home country, I dutifully started researching him and stumbled upon his recent hit ‘S’agapao giaiti’. That led me down a rabbit hole of his music and I hungrily devoured everything I could find. When the opportunity to see him live came up, how could I possibly refuse? I had to see the man himself in action and see if he lived up to the hype.
Argiros arrived on stage shortly after 8pm and he delivered an extensive, and energetic set, that played well to the majority Greek audience. Opening with ‘Athina mou’ from ‘22’, Argiros captivated the audience (and me) with his natural charisma, his stage presence and most importantly his voice. The powerful command of his delivery translated with ease to the live arena and Argiros’ radiant vibrato rang out throughout near three-hour set. Split into two sections, with a healthy interval in between to recharge glasses, Argiros put on a performance that was testament to both his talent and his stamina as a live performer.
Backed by his remarkable symphony orchestra, led by maestros Nikos Garoufalakis and Gridi Kraja, Argiros’ entire set was truly spectacular. From the instrumentation, to Argiros’ dance moves and everything in between, I felt like I’d been transported to the sunny climes of Greece. With an incredible 37 songs packed into the set, Argiros left no part of his career out of the spotlight and he paid homage to many of Greece’s greatest singers. Variety was most definitely the flavour of the evening.
The first part of the set featured more uptempo songs than the second half. With high energy performances of favourites such as ‘Afou se vrika’ and ‘Mazi Sou’, Argiros had the audience on their feet and partying away. Throughout the evening the audience were up and down like yo-yos, leaping up during the faster numbers and staying seated to listen intently to the ballads. Highlights across the first half of the set included the rousing ‘Psemata’, the beautiful ballad ‘Paidi gennaio’ and his big 2024 hit ‘S’agapao giati’.
Returning to the stage for the second half of the performance, Argiros discarded his suit jacket and impressively maintained his high energy, and impeccable vocals, for another nearly 90 minutes. Kicking off with ‘Eleftheros’, Argiros continued to explore his extensive catalogue. He leaned into tradition on the soaring ‘Paraskevi proi’, showcased the power of his voice on the jaw-dropping ‘Molis xthes’ and set a moody scene with the atmospheric ‘Okeanos’.
One of the most notable things about the evening, aside from Argiros’ masterful performance, was just how engaged the audience was. This wasn’t a bunch of fans who loved one or two songs, this was a collection of loyal followers that knew every single word to every single song. They were happy to get on their feet and dance, they waved their Argiros branded white handkerchiefs in the air throughout the night, and they beamed with smiles as Argiros put on one hell of a performance. The audience atmosphere definitely added to the night’s ‘wow’ factor.
Returning to the stage for a two-song encore that consisted of reprisals of ‘Eleftheros’ and ‘Athina mou’, Argiros was clearly feeling very emotional. He wiped tears away from his eyes and gazed out into the audience, soaking up the applause and love he was receiving. The experience was clearly a humbling one and the realisation of a long-held dream come true.
While I may not have understood every single word sung and spoken on stage, I came away from the Royal Albert Hall with the feeling that I’d been part of something really special. Argiros is a born entertainer and having seen him live, it’s not hard to understand why he’s become such a huge superstar. With bags of talent, model good-looks and a voice that packs depth and emotion, Argiros is an artist you need to see live to fully appreciate. Judging from the reaction last night, he’s welcome to come back any time he wants.
Set list: Section A – 1. Athina mou 2. Afou se vrika 3. Mazi sou 4. Tha mai edo 5. Mallon kati xero 6. Telika 7. Poso 8. St’ asteria pame 9. Iliovasilema 10. Ti na to kano 11. Psemata 12. Tipota eso 13. Ti na peis gia mena 14. S’agapao giati 15. Paidi genaio 16. Elpida Section B – 1. Eleftheros 2. Ta paidia tou piraia 3. Peiraiotika 4. Okeanos 5. Paraskeui proi 6. Sinnefiasmeni kiriaki 7. Fragkosiriani 8. Poios na sigkrithi mazi sou 9. An thimitheis t’ oneiro mou 10. Pou ‘nai ta xronia 11. Molis xtes 12. S’agapao giati eisai oraia 13. Gianta 14. Ntari ntari 15. Psarovarka 16. Ela na pame s’ ena meros 17. Ikariotiko 18. Xorepsete xorepsete 19. Ta rialia Encore – 1. Eleftheros 2. Athina mou Performance date: 26th September 2024
