Review of the "HOUSE OF BEATA – Beata Kozidrak x KAMP" concert

There are concerts that are, let’s call them, repeatable. The kind that, even if you miss them, you’ll likely catch up on in a similar format within a few years at most. But there are also concerts that are absolutely unique—ones that have never been held in this particular format before. And perhaps they never will be again… And that’s exactly what the joint performance by Beata Kozidrak and the band KAMP! was—the finale of November’s lineup of events at Atlas Arena.

Two Musical Worlds

When two musical worlds collide, it usually causes quite a stir. After all, people from both worlds are very curious about the results. And there are also plenty of people who haven’t been emotionally invested in the matter until now, but who simply want to see and hear for themselves the outcome of this one-of-a-kind artistic collision. It was no different at the Łódź concert hall on the last Saturday of November, where fans of the 65-year-old singer turned out in droves, as did fans of the trio, which had reunited especially for this special evening. Both groups had a wonderful time, and it’s worth noting that the audience also included special guests—from Hanna Zdanowska, the mayor of Łódź, to Julia Kuczyńska, also known as Maffashion, a popular celebrity who appeared with Kozidrak in one of her music videos.

Even from a distance, well before reaching Atlas Arena, it was clear that this was an event of extraordinary significance. The parking lot surrounding the venue was filled with license plates from every corner of Poland—from Pomerania, through Greater Poland, all the way to Subcarpathia. For fans of Polish music, this was a must-see concert, as the organizers had emphasized from the start that the project was absolutely unique and would not be repeated. This realization heightened the atmosphere of excitement—everyone knew that in a moment they would witness something that would never happen again. Everyone realized that on this day, Łódź was becoming the musical epicenter of the entire country.

The Return of a Legend

Another thing is that choosing Łódź to host this event was by no means a coincidence. Quite the opposite. First, there’s the matter of its central location, which made it easier for fans from other parts of the country to get there. Second, the star of the evening feels right at home on Łódź’s stages—something she has proven time and again during solo concerts and with Bajm. And third, KAMP! hails from Łódź. At one point, he was even one of the city’s main musical ambassadors. Suffice it to say that in the first decade of the 21st century, it became one of the most important Polish electronic music projects. Its music blended cool Scandinavian synthpop, French “French touch” sounds, and slightly melancholic melodies. For those unfamiliar, let’s mention that the turning point in the group’s career was their 2012 debut album “Kamp!”, which was very well received by critics and electronic music fans alike. During that period, the band became famous for hits like “Cairo,” “Distance of the Modern Hearts,” and “Heats,” and performed not only at the biggest Polish festivals but also abroad.

Now, months of hard work by Radosław Krzyżanowski, Tomasz Spaderski, and Michał Słodowy—the members of KAMP!—were set to transform Beata’s solo hits into entirely new electronic-synthpop arrangements, a vision the seasoned artist had been dreaming of for quite some time. When Beata Kozidrak took the stage, it quickly became clear that this wasn’t going to be a standard concert featuring her greatest hits. KAMP! gave the songs a sound that no one had heard before—synthetic, pulsating, at times club-like, yet not devoid of emotional depth.  To put it another way, to the general applause of the audience, the clash of two different aesthetics turned out to be a highly successful experiment.

A celebration of optimism and a bold message

Although the concert was originally scheduled to start at exactly 8:00 p.m., it actually began half an hour later. This “delay,” however, had been carefully planned, as the countdown had been displayed on the big screen for the previous 10 minutes. And the stage, designed to resemble a club interior, was already illuminated by intense white light, which undoubtedly added to the atmosphere of anticipation. When the clocks on the screens finally counted down the last seconds, the interior of Atlas Arena lit up blue with dynamic beams of light—just like in a giant disco!

To greet the audience, Beata and KAMP! performed “Olka” and immediately made it clear to everyone that there would be no room for musical half-measures that evening. The song, considered an anthem of hedonism and an encouragement to physical pleasure, sounded even more sensual than in the original version from her first solo album, and the lyrics “grab with one hand what the world gives you” echoed with full conviction throughout the hall. When the last note faded away, Beata and the guys from KAMP! officially announced the start of the party. “This is an extraordinary day for me. Thank you for letting me make my dreams come true. This is a party where we’re all going to have fun,” emphasized the clearly moved singer.

Photo: Radoslaw Zydowicz

Without shame before the Madonna

Before the next song, Kozidrak picked two audience members from the crowd who came on stage to… play a slot machine. And so: “Bingo”! The vibe was much more dance-oriented than in the original version, which appeared on “B3,” the singer’s penultimate album to date. Suffice it to say that when some of the people sitting around me in the section stood up then, they didn’t sit back down until the very end. Especially since the next item on the setlist was one of Beata’s biggest solo hits—“Siedzę i myślę.” The energy straight out of the best dance clubs was already powering the arena at full force, and an added highlight of this song was the choreography featuring a group of dancers who surrounded the Lublin native. Neither Madonna nor any other global pop star would be ashamed of such a stage entourage!

For the next few minutes, green and blue dominated the Atlas Arena. There was also increasingly loud singing from the audience and increasingly energetic dancing. “Blue-Green,” with an arrangement that was also clearly revamped compared to the version on the “B3” album, fit perfectly into the “house party with Beata” theme, a phrase that was repeated in every possible form throughout the evening. Once the color play was behind us, Kozidrak invited more guests onto the stage. This time it was a string quartet, which foreshadowed the arrival of subtle, classical sounds breaking through the electronic aesthetic. And that is exactly what happened. “Taka Warszawa” in this refreshed format was bound to be a hit. Especially for someone who had come straight from the capital just for this concert. Or for someone like me, who spent over a dozen beautiful years of my life in the capital city…

The Transformation of Nostalgia for the Past

“I’m bursting with optimism. I’ve been dreaming about this concert for a very long time and have been waiting for it. Now I can feel your presence here,” Kozidrak said candidly before launching into the next song. “Panama” was one of the newest songs we heard that evening. This time, it was bathed in red light, which danced across the interior of Atlas Arena, intensifying the slightly unsettling, and at times downright psychedelic, rhythm. Later, Beata returned to material from her first album and sang “Kiedy mnie okłamiesz” for us, once again changing the vibe in the venue.

The arrangement of another hit from the album *Beata* also came as a complete surprise. The modernized version of “Żal mi tamtych nocy i dni” was a hit with the vast majority of the audience, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this particular remix finds its way into some DJs’ playlists for the upcoming carnival season. In contrast, “Lato ze snu” was much closer to its classic form—though with noticeable KAMP!-style touches—and stands as one of the most beautiful ballads in Kozidrak’s solo catalog (a fact the artist herself acknowledged, encouraging the audience to hug each other tightly during the song!).

Not a solo, but still without Bajm

Before “Bliżej” began to flow from the powerful stage speakers, the audience’s excitement reached new heights that evening. This time, it was really just three simple words spoken by the blonde singer that sparked the reaction. “Long live Łódź!” Kozidrak shouted, concluding the story behind the creation of “Bliżej” and dedicating it to all the people of Łódź (the song was originally intended as a tribute to Lublin). It should be noted that the Youth Brass Band from Mykanów also played a significant role in the warm reception of this song by the fans—energetic, sounding great, and bringing dynamism and the necessary power.

If the concert at Atlas Arena—the culmination of the “House of Beata” project—were ever to be released on video, all promotional materials should definitely include excerpts from the song “Upiłam się Tobą.” The duet with Kasia Moś was definitely one of those moments that stick in your memory for a long time. Because despite the significant age difference, you could feel the highest-caliber “chemistry” between the two artists. And even though some time has passed since the concert, the dynamic phrase “feel this moment” still lingers in my head and makes me hum the entire chorus.

Recovery before the grueling finish

The next song on the setlist was “Opium,” a musical gem from the latest—to date—album “4B” that was never released as a single. As with other tracks from this album, the style between the initial version and the current one didn’t differ much (though a trained ear will easily pick up on various sonic nuances that KAMP! frontman Radosław Krzyżanowski came up with during rehearsals with his bandmates).

For the next few minutes, we remained engrossed in the tracks from the album “4B.” When “Frajer” was played shortly after, it had the fans at Atlas Arena rocking from start to finish and was ultimately rewarded with a well-deserved standing ovation. “Letni wiatr”—revamped after nearly a decade—from the earlier album “B3” also struck a chord with the audience. And during “Lazurowy sen,” some probably didn’t even realize that the star of the show had left the stage to change her outfit once again and gather her strength for the moving finale. The instrumental version, in a truly trance-like style, with the chorus only softly hummed by the backing vocals (in the tried-and-true lineup—led by her daughter Katarzyna), put the audience into a veritable hypnotic trance.

Remembering Staś, thinking of Nel

If I were to award nominations in the “concert discovery of the evening” category, one of them would certainly go to the song “Ogień w moim sercu,” which Beata had previously recorded for her third album with the band Sound’n’Grace. In an arrangement straight out of Atlas Arena, the song gained additional depth, thereby evoking even greater emotions in the audience. The experience was completed by visuals of fire on the big screens and piano accompaniment. Oh, despite the vast space, the hall felt incredibly intimate and cozy at the same time.

And to round off the main set, there was the long-awaited “return to childhood.” As with the previous song, the Academic Choir of the University of Łódź provided exemplary support to the singer during the performance of “Rzeka marzeń” (River of Dreams), lending the composition a sense of grandeur and spaciousness. The support certainly came in handy, as the version of this iconic song prepared for the day lasted—no small feat—nearly ten minutes. But no one complained, and no one looked impatiently at their watch. Instead, there was joy at being able to linger longer with the melody that once so eagerly accompanied the film. A film based on the beautiful, much-loved story penned by Henryk Sienkiewicz…

Photo: Radoslaw Zydowicz

Still on top

After the customary round of thanks, we were treated to an encore of “Żal mi tamtych nocy i dni” and “Upiłam się Tobą”—this time without Kasia Moś. All in all, it was over two hours of a concert full of tempo changes. It was a successful, unique event, though some of those present in the hall will certainly remain—despite everything—loyal to the traditional renditions of hits from the artist’s solo career. Beata Kozidrak’s tears of joy as she left the stage, however, were completely understandable. In front of many people close to her—family, friends, and colleagues—she realized that despite recent setbacks, the audience still adores her. Even if she isn’t singing Bajm’s hits.

But the proverbial noise—with a capital N—is also due to the members of KAMP! Thanks to them, this concert was not only a pop-electronic spectacle, but also a showcase of creative arrangement. And an inspiration to us all that sometimes it’s worth doing something that seems crazy!