On November 15, 2016, Placebo played one of the shows of the 20 ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐ at Forum di Assago in Milan. Though, not everything went smoothly on that day.
A support band had got their bus broken on the road far away from Milan, so they couldn’t make to the city in time. Probably it was an option to play without any opening act but… Placebo got to find another, very unusual solution for the problem. They invited ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, a friend of Brian and a founder of the project Alma Matters which deals with Tibetan healing practice and meditation, to open for them and perform a gong bath in front of Placebo audience.
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| Photo credits: Brian Molko (2016) - credit unknown; @placeboworld IG, edit by Olga. |
As Brian is very much interested in this kind of topics, the idea most likely belonged to him. Mr. Molko personally explained the situation with the opening band and presented Walter Zanca to the fans.
๐You can watch a whole ๐๐๐๐๐ of a ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ started with a very inspiring ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐’๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
https://bit.ly/3m6dtFf
Also, I want to share an ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ with Walter Zanca where he told about Alma Matters' concept, Tibetan bowls he gave to Brian as a present and his opinion on the relationships between Placebo members.
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| Brian Molko in Milano 2016. Photo credit: Die Presse Archivbild |
๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ฒ๐ ๐๐จ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐จ๐ฏ๐: Walter, firstly, I would like to know about your occupation and Alma Matters. When did you decide to start up Alma Matters? What was the concept?
๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ง๐๐: I decided to start my Alma Matters project as I've always been interested in trying to help people to get in touch more with their intimate part, their spiritual part.
I started many years ago as an Ayurvedic masseur and from the very beginning I was surprised to see the effect the massages had on people. Many described themselves as being capable or really looking inside themselves for the first time and most of the time they said it was like going to a psychologist session.
So I started to study more and more (and still doing my researches) because I always thought that we are our own guru and we can learn to understand and see more by using and developing our own consciousness.
So the concept of Alma Matters was to create a place where through holistic disciplines people could get in touch with their intimate person.
I started Alma Matters 2 years ago after many years of giving massages and as you can see for the very start Alma is growing and growing and by saying this I want to say that people got my message and it works.
๐๐: I know that you gave Brian Molko special bowls for meditation (he posted them on Instagram). Could you, please, tell me a bit more about the bowls? How can you use them?
๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ง๐๐: Tibetan bowls are originally for the Himalayan areas and they were actually used to put food in it. During the centuries people found out that by using them by rotating or hitting a small stick on them they produce sounds and vibrations able to deeply relax peoples' mind. What happens during a Tibetan bowls massage (where the bowls are placed on the body in contact with specific points) or concerts is a spread of vibrations that, being physical have the power to dissolve muscular tensions. Furthermore, our brain which is always used to be very connected to our job and never be able to relax, do not recognize that kind of sound and vibrations and the results is a "turn off" of our nervous system meaning that we disconnect from the outer world and enter into a sort of meditation.
๐๐: There're some photos on your Instagram when you were on tour with Placebo. I work with a musician and I can understand that being on tour is a quite stressful situation. What can you recommend to do for reducing stress when you on road or in other difficult situation?
๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ง๐๐: The best treatments to practice when you're on the road or before a very important job that requires a full presence of body and mind are the most relaxing ones.
What always happens that after the treatments (I would say all those treatments that bring the person into meditation or a very relaxed mind) a great power and will of life follows and that's where on stage for example you give your best and the energy that is created is quite clear to everybody.
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| Photo credit unknown |
๐๐: I saw your performance before a Placebo show in Milan on YouTube. It was amazing and so unusual. Who gave a suggestion of the performance? What were your impressions after it? It's your first experience like giving a performance on stage or you have done it earlier?
๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ง๐๐: As Brian Molko said on stage he visited me the day of the concert and had a gong bath. What happened to him and what happens to everyone after the sounds and vibrations of the gongs is that you're so relaxed and calm that you want to do it more and more.
In that very occasion, with the coincidence (do they really exist?) of the support band having their tour bus broken away from Milan I was asked to open for Placebo.
That was my biggest experience with a gong bath as the venue in Milan was sold out with 12 thousand people but I usually give gong baths every week in Alma Matters and more are yet to come in forests, castles etc.
๐๐: I asked this question to some people who have known Brian and Stefan for several years and worked with them, and I want to ask this question to you. Now Placebo is twenty years, they have 20 Years tour. What can you say about the changes in the band, maybe, you have noticed something through your collaboration or connection with them?
๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ง๐๐: Life is an incredible path to follow if you're able look inside you and evolve with it. We don't know where we come from and where we're going but it's the walk that counts. Brian, Stefan and all the rest of the band are incredible human beings and they're all a big family and human relationship to them is very important. Some may have come and gone but the 99% of that family is still there, including roadies. They're aware of how important is being human and not lose the sense of reality and importance of feelings and I guess you can see that in their lyrics and on stage.
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“...๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐!”
⭐️ https://bit.ly/39g7Uk7
“...๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐. ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐.”
⭐️ https://bit.ly/2JgTDsE
And of course, my post wouldn’t be complete without some music, so let’s watch Placebo performing ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ that incredible day in Milan.
๐ถ https://bit.ly/367AEK2
Post by Olga
