| Eurovision Song Contest News - 2008 Belgrade, Serbia 

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♥ Toše - Angel si ti - Počivaj Vo Mir ♥

Concert - Skopje 2004
"......However, the biggest reason to explain why Toshe Proeski has endeared himself to Macedonians of all ages is his enormous heart. The singer loves kids, and kids love him. He has made a habit of visiting hospitals and dropping in to raise the spirits of special-needs children who live otherwise depressing lives in under-funded collective centers. He has also played several benefit concerts.

This sincere and mutual love - perhaps the most remarkable and unusual thing from the Western perspective - was amply attested by the number of little children who waited patiently to come up on the stage and hug Toshe, and hand him a stuffed animal or balloon. Unable to cope with such a deluge, as might be expected, the singer donates such toys to a Skopje orphanage.

Another reason the Macedonians respect Toshe is the fact that he has succeeded through talent rather than through connections or background. “Toshe didn’t come from a rich family in Skopje who can make his career for him, but from a poor family from Krusevo. Everything he did was because of his talents,” said one older fan at Tuesday’s show.

And so, somewhat after midnight, the concert ended, after a minor fireworks display that Toshe dedicated to his corporate sponsor (mobile phone provider Cosmofon), and a couple of rousing encores. As they milled out of the stadium, the fans seem to have been more than satisfied with this rare evening with Macedonia’s most popular individual. There was a bit of a buzz outside the stadium afterwards, with popcorn vendors and other food vendors did a brisk business. Some continued the night of live music in nearby bars, such as the famous Maracana, which was featuring a smokin’ blues & rock band.

Yet some found it hard to move on. Many of the numerous teenage girls, obviously moved as never before in their long, long lives, left with tears welling up in their mascara-heavy eyes. “He’s so beautiful!” one moaned. “So much more than on the TV!” It must have been hard for them to depart this epiphanal fantasyland and return to reality. ‘I’ll never wash this hand again.’ Even if somewhat bizarre to witness a Beatles-esque phenomenon in a country the size of Macedonia, it seems to have been that sort of thing.

But what, if anything, did it all add up to? Was this a fun, but ultimately forgettable evening in the Park, or was there anything more to it?

One wise young fan was ready with an answer. “Many world-famous singers could learn from Toshe,” she cheered, “about how to sing and have fun on the stage. And after all, to just stay like a normal guy. He is proud to be a Macedonian, and he is proud of Macedonia.”