Ich Troje Played Cleveland Feb. 9, 2007

This is pretty much how Ich Troje the number one pop music group in Poland looked like when Janet and I saw them perform in Detroit 4 years ago.

It was the first time I had ever been to a Polish Rock concert. To say the least I was extremely impressed. Not so much by the music, which I had already heard on CD and already thought was great. But, the elaborate stage settings and props they used throughout the performance made the biggest impression.

Back then Michał was the only member with shocking red hair. The blonde female Justyna Majkowska has since left the group.

Recently the group with 2 gold, 2 platinum and 2 diamond (9 X Platinum) CDs played my hometown of Cleveland with Michał's new bride Ania who looks like she already understands aspects of communal property laws by getting into her husbands hair dye bottles.

The 2007 tour of America and Canada is a bit more elaborate than their previous tour. With them they brought a small modern ballet company adding intricate choreographic elements to many of the songs and Konjo the slightly "off beat" and effeminate comedian as a show opener.

Knowing how much we enjoyed the Detroit concert, we decided that it would be well worth the trek to see them in Cleveland this time around. We weren't disappointed.

The group's name means roughly "The Three of Them" and was conceived ten years ago by songwriter Michal Wisniewski and composer Jacek Łągwa. Wisniewski, the charismatic red-haired singer, has been the most popular person in Polish show business for several years.

The group's music is castigated by the critics, and Michał Wisniewski frankly claims himself, that he can't actually sing. I can't really understand the critics or Wisniewski's self depreciating humor. Most people I hang with like the music and stage show. The wild hair is neither here, nor there. At my Zapusty celebration this year we danced to their music with somewhat wild abandonment.

Despite everything, since about 2000, Ich Troje has been the most popular Polish group. In the last two years Ich Troje has given over 300 concerts. Their fans come from different backgrounds: from amused children to pensioners in tears. Their concerts are great shows that combine the power of pop music with the verve of a musical. They talk about love, betrayal, break-ups in a dramatic atmosphere using theatrical devices to great affect.

Ich Troje is considered by aficionados to be one of the most influential Polish pop groups in recent times.