Photos: Omar Souleyman At Howard Theatre

By Brandon Wu

Omar Souleyman

The unlikely commercial success of Syrian wedding-music performer Omar Souleyman seems even more unlikely when you see him in person: Souleyman’s bizarrely listless stage presence doesn’t seem to fit his frenetic music. Still, as Souleyman wandered around a stage that was completely empty aside from keyboardist Rizan Sa’id’s fairly minimal setup, the performer’s singing and occasional hand-clapping were enough to rile up a crowd that came ready to dance.

Omar Souleyman

Omar Souleyman

Omar Souleyman

Omar Souleyman

Omar Souleyman

Omar Souleyman

Omar Souleyman

Omar Souleyman

Omar Souleyman

Omar Souleyman