Babylon Plays 7/8 Concert Despite Protests, Riots

Despite rising tensions surrounding a racially charged murder trial and warnings of possible riots, 12-year-old Los Angeles-based keyboardist Ben Babylon went ahead with his performance at the prestigious Yoshi's jazz club in downtown Oakland on Thursday, July 8.

Babylon, who is the son of Elton John's late keyboardist and arranger Guy Babylon, was a special guest of Bay Area vocalist Kathryn Keats. Although streets surrounding the club were deserted and demonstrations were taking place just blocks away, the mood at Yoshi's was festive, as Keats' band and Babylon entertained the crowd for 90 minutes. Babylon received a standing ovation for the song "Goodbye Superman," which he composed in memory of his father.

During the show, unknown to the musicians and audience members, what had begun as peaceful demonstrations nearby turned violent. Protesters angry at the involuntary manslaughter conviction of a former transit police officer who shot an unarmed man began clashing with police and smashing windows of cars and businesses.

Babylon and his mother, Kathy Babylon, learned of the verdict less than four hours before the concert was scheduled to begin. After conferring with Keats, they were determined to go on with the show, despite the fact that public employees were being sent home early and thousands of people were fleeing Oakland.

"I thought it was awesome that we were doing something peaceful and productive, even though some people decided they were going to be destructive, which wasn't going to help anything," Kathy said. "I am really glad that we went through with the concert. It was one of the best shows I have ever seen."

"I was too excited about the show to be worried about The Situation that was happening," Ben added. "I was looking forward to performing my song with all those amazing musicians. It was a fun show, and I'm glad I was in the club while all the rioting was going on outside, because I felt safer."

Performing with Keats and Babylon were Grammy-nominated bassist Michael Manring, pianist Kelly Park, trumpeter Jeff Oster, guitarist Tom Lattanand, percussionist Joe Venegoni and Brazilian-born drummer Celso Alberti, who has toured with such top recording artists as Steve Winwood, Flora Purim, Herbie Mann and many others.

For Keats, a survivor of a high-profile domestic violence case more than 20 years ago, the decision to proceed with her concert in the city where she was almost murdered was difficult. Learning of the jury's verdict less than four hours before showtime, she and her associates hurriedly began phoning and texting her band members and Yoshi's management, to gauge their comfort level.

"My husband was in San Francisco, and I was at home with the rest of my family and some house guests," she said. "We saw on TV how the freeways were jammed with people trying to get out of Oakland. After speaking with Yoshi's management, we decided to continue with the show, unless there were indications that the demonstrations were moving toward the club. Driving into Oakland, I heard on the radio that clashes with police had already started. I wondered if this was how it would all end for me-to survive one violent ordeal years ago, only to die in another one on the night of my return."

Keats gave up a promising music career in the early 1980s, after being held captive and tortured for 54 days in an Oakland apartment. She changed her identity and went into hiding, after her abuser was released from a mental hospital, where a judge had ordered him for six months. She came out of hiding in 2005, after learning her abuser had died. She is now re-launching her music career, having recorded one CD and now working on another one with Grammy-winning producer Narada Michael Walden.

Although Keats has performed at other venues in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and New York since 2005, the concert at Yoshi's was her most important to date, not just because of the symbolic significance related to her domestic violence experience, but because Ben Babylon traveled from Los Angeles to appear on stage with her.

"I called Kathy Babylon as soon as I learned the verdict, and told her that if she wanted to cancel, I would understand," Keats said. "She said that she and Ben still wanted to do the show, and that really meant a lot to me. I am so grateful to the Babylons and everyone else who showed up under very difficult circumstances."

Information about Ben Babylon is available at www.babylonmusic.biz. Information about Kathryn Keats is available at www.kathrynkeats.com.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!