WATERTOWN, Mass. — The Armenian rock group Lav Eli on May 1 concluded an East Coast tour of five cities, including Watertown (for the metropolitan Boston area), for which the Armenian Mirror-Spectator was a media sponsor. With the Watertown venue being a small one, and demand for tickets high, a second performance was added for the same night of April 30 at the Armenian American Social Club.
The first session at 5 p.m. included spectators of all ages, who enthusiastically clapped along for certain favorite songs. The performers also asked the audience to sing refrains on several occasions.
The configuration of Lav Eli for this tour included cofounder Mher Manukyan, who came from Armenia to perform, accordionist Ara Dabandjian of Los Angeles, and cofounder Gor Mkhitarian, now living in North Carolina. Master oud player John Berberian was a surprise guest who joined the group on several songs and added some traditional Armenian musical flavor with his experienced riffs.
