In a musical evening marked by the joy of reunion and the city regaining its pulse, the ‘Ayyad Beirut’ festival opened its 11th season under the slogan ‘And Lebanon Remains.’ Abeer Nehme was the star of the evening, her voice soaring for 90 minutes with a selection of her own songs, alongside timeless works by Fairouz and Zaki Nassif. Thousands of attendees gathered on the waterfront in the Antelias - Naqqash area to join Nehme in celebrating a city trying to catch its breath, having begun to shake off the dust of war, in the presence of Lebanese and foreign political figures.

Abeer Nehme opened ‘Ayyad Beirut’ with the song ‘Al-Qahwa’ dressed in white (Al-Sharq al-Awsat)

As soon as she appeared on stage with her musical band, dressed in white, applause erupted in the venue signaling the start of the evening. She began her program with the song ‘Al-Qahwa’ (lyrics and music by Charbel Rouhana), expressing her longing to meet her Lebanese audience after waiting, then performed ‘Li Beirut,’ turning the stage into a dazzling visual tableau. A map of Lebanon was drawn in the sky by illuminated drones that changed formations harmoniously with the song's lyrics; sometimes forming a heart, sometimes embodying symbolic hugs hovering over the heads of attendees. This visual display added an artistic dimension to the evening, surprising the audience who rushed to document the scene with their phone cameras.

Nehme's tribute to the capital continued as she performed ‘Habibti Beirut,’ carrying a message of love and hope. Its opening lines: ‘My love, tell me have you forgotten singing... My love, get up, for the meeting... And in my hands are only two loaves of bread for a bird that calls to you above the port... My love, no, the longing does not dry... For in the end, you are the permanence.’

She performed a tribute medley from the archive of the late Zaki Nassif (Al-Sharq al-Awsat)

Abeer Nehme expressed her joy at meeting the Lebanese audience again after an absence, thanking them for not hesitating to travel long distances to share this evening with her. The high temperatures did not hinder the interaction of the attendees, who accompanied her with applause, waving, and singing along throughout the night, in a scene reflecting mutual longing.

Abeer Nehme's evening was not without successive surprises; she prepared a musical program that combined more than one musical genre. She hosted Algerian artist Amin, presented a tribute to the late Zaki Nassif, and moved smoothly between French song and authentic tarab, alongside her own works. With her diverse musical choices and the dynamic rhythm she maintained throughout the concert, she succeeded in entertaining the audience who followed her enthusiastically until the last moments.

In one of the evening's surprises, Abeer Nehme invited Algerian artist Amin (Babylon) to the stage. After his delay in appearing, she called him several times in a humorous atmosphere. Once he joined her, they performed a special duet blending his guitar playing with their voices in performing his famous song ‘Zina,’ turning the stage into an interactive and collective singing space.

Algerian artist Amin (Babylon) is the evening's guest (Al-Sharq al-Awsat)

After performing her song ‘Weinak,’ the decorations changed to make way for images of the late artist Zaki Nassif that filled the giant screens. The artist paid a tribute to him, singing from his archive the two songs ‘N'qili Zahra’ and ‘Ishtaqna Ktir Ya Hbab.’ As soon as the melodies started, the audience stood up clapping and repeating the lyrics, in a scene mixing nostalgia and joy, as a whole generation recalled memories accompanied by Nassif's timeless songs.

Afterwards, she performed the song ‘Bi'oulou El Hob Bi'otel El Wakt’ by the late Ziad Rahbani, before advancing towards pianist Marc Naoum who accompanied her in a scene marked by romance and musical harmony, then moved to her song ‘Amal,’ followed by a performance of ‘Hymn to Love’ by the famous French singer, the star of the fifties, Edith Piaf, while the stage background was adorned with red hearts that added a romantic atmosphere to the evening.

Abeer Nehme's vocal abilities stood out in more than one instance; she showed great flexibility in transitioning between different registers, and embellished some of her medleys with operatic touches that won the admiration of the audience who interrupted her repeatedly with applause. In her performance of the song ‘Ya Tara,’ which deals with the transformations in a love relationship, she succeeded in captivating the attendees, leaving a clear impact on them.

Abeer Nehme did not leave the stage before gifting her audience the two songs ‘Bala Ma Nehss’ and ‘Besaraha,’ which have become fixed stops in every concert. As for the conclusion, it came with ‘Bi'ba'a Nas,’ which carried a message of gratitude and loyalty to everyone who accompanied her on her artistic and humanitarian journey. The curtain fell on an evening dominated by feelings of joy and hope, affirming that music is still capable of gathering Lebanese around a single moment of life.

Concerts of ‘Ayyad Beirut’ continue until July 28, when the audience will meet in the coming days an elite group of Lebanese and Arab stars, including Al-Akhras, Elissa, Marwan Khoury, John Askar, Joseph Attieh, Guy Manoukian, and Ibrahim Maalouf, in a series of evenings that complete the festival's return to the artistic scene.