|
 Barry Colson, a 56-year-old piano player who lives in Halifax,
Canada, led a nightly songfest for World Economic Forum
attendees as the musician-in-residence at the upstairs bar of
the Hotel Europe.
Now, his gig is up. Colson said his contract was not renewed for
2020. The owner of the Hotel Europe, which is on the town's main
promenade, did not respond to several requests by Reuters for
comment.
Instead, Colson has opened up his own shop about 450 meters from
the Hotel Europe. Would-be warblers are greeted with a "Barry's
Piano Bar" neon sign at a club sponsored by U.S. internet
security company Cloudflare.
Back up the road, UK-based musician Ian Hooper is playing the
Hotel Europe this month and in March, his website says.
Colson says Bono, Peter Gabriel, Hollywood producer James
Cameron and Google founder Eric Schmidt are just some of the
high-profile Davos attendees who have turned up to hear him belt
out songs over the years, some joining him in a tune.
His set regularly features Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," Elton
John's "Rocket Man," and Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69".
Cloudflare co-founder Matthew Prince, who met his wife Tatiana
in 2015 during a Barry gig at the Hotel Europe, said he offered
to find and fund the new Davos location, settling the deal on a
handshake.
"Davos is very structured. It's rigid in its form and designed
not to embarrass or offend anyone, ever," Prince said.
"There's almost nothing more embarrassing than standing up with
a microphone, trying to sing. And it turns out the skill to be
the CEO or crown prince doesn't translate so well to lounge
singer," he added.
[to top of second column] |
The new piano lounge, designed by Brand Fuel, looks more like a
New York club than an Alpine bar. It features plush sofas, dark
lighting and funky chandeliers.
Cloudflare is hoping to host Colson again at the same place in
Davos next year, a spokeswoman said.
Colson sticks to a tight list of songs from the 60s, 70s, 80s
and 90s. "My repertoire changed only a little bit because people
don't want to change," Colson said. "I tried learning new songs.
It really didn't work."
The most requested song, he said, is Billy Joel's "Piano Man," a
tune Colson said he turns off when he hears it on the radio.
Davos fixture Ian Bremmer, founder of the Eurasia Group
consulting firm, said Colson has infectious energy and is a pro
at understanding what a room wants to hear.
"Barry may be the one thing everyone attending Davos can agree
on," Bremmer said.
(Additional reporting by Jenna Zucker and Kathryn Lurie; Editing
by Leela de Kretser and Alexander Smith)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
