If you didn’t know Hakim was coming to Washington D.C. October 2, 2004, you wouldn’t know. It wasn’t announced on any web pages, ticket outlets, or anywhere that normal people find concert information. It required insider information or luck. Perhaps that is why there were less than 200 people to see this international superstar.

Doors opened an hour after the scheduled start time. My performance was also an hour behind. I am not sure what time the second belly dance was scheduled to go on as that wasn’t announced, but she finished just as Hakim was supposed to come on stage. Hakim didn’t appear until two hours later. We filled the time by dancing to the same two CDs over and over.

The concert goers were mainly young Egyptian girls. The pack was rounded out by a small group of young Egyptian men, older Egyptian adults, and a handful of Americans. Being a veteran of Arab functions, I expected the crowd to be dressed to the nines, but most were casually dressed.

The place had a very Arab feel to it, but it wasn’t quite Arab. The dress was the first clue, but the crowd was also not as friendly as I’ve known Arabs to be. Not that they were unfriendly. It just wasn’t the same. Alcohol was available, and while it wasn’t flowing copiously, it was flowing. I saw a very drunk Egyptian woman making a spectacle of herself with her stumbling walk and tears. Young girls were dancing suggestively and shamelessly inviting Hakim upstairs for sex.

The hotel had lots of policemen for security. None were needed for the show, but a policeman later told us that they were needed to bring Hakim out of his hotel room. He refused to come on because there was some disagreement about money. He did eventually hit the stage, but the concert only lasted 45 minutes.

I thought the policemen might have arrested the other belly dancer for violating the Virginia “no touch” law. She danced lewdly on the table tops while offering her breasts as a place for cheering audience members to place dollar bills. She teasingly rolled her belly forward then retracted it as patrons reached for her skirt to add more booty to her cache. She was in no danger of being booked however. The policemen laughed and cheered from the sidelines and encouraged her to do more.

After the concert was over, a distraught white fellow loudly warned us to, “Watch out for the FBI as you are leaving.” He said they were crawling all over the place and had frisked him earlier. I saw no one who looked like FBI, nor did I see anyone getting frisked. The crowd was rather orderly and calm.

Hakim’s performance did make it all worthwhile. Once he was finally on stage, he kicked butt. He opened with a fast paced “Al salaam a'alaykum.” He patiently tolerated people jumping on stage to get a picture with him, but after the second song, he asked that we not take pictures until the end. He said he would stay as long as necessary if we stay off the stage and refrain from taking snapshots. Most obeyed, but I guess the violators ruined it for the rest of us because Hakim was not available after the concert.

The music continued at a pace that was too fast to dance to, but the audience delightfully clapped and sang along to Hakim’s greatest hits. Hakim’s high energy and incredibly strong voice was amazing! He used his cute dance moves to accentuate the music and interacted with the band in a relaxed, friendly way. Hakim is a great showman and really seemed to enjoy himself, which made it a thoroughly delightful adventure.

Although Hakim left us hanging, his band members did not. They were in the hall as we departed. They graciously accepted the accolades, and answered every English question with “Thank-you.”

Hakim’s concert was completely surreal. Had I not shared the experience with others, I might have thought I dreamed it. Despite all the madness before, during, and after the concert, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. If you get the chance to see him, do.