2023-06-11 17:08:57
And the singer arrived in Madrid. The city enthusiastically welcomes him for his two consecutive dates at the Botánico, an ideal venue for Andrés Calamaro. His job is to constantly challenge himself, always looking for a new path to reach the same place: the summit of author song. Today, without knowing yet if it will come up heads or tails, the night seems auspicious.
It starts off with ‘Output-Input’, powerful rock with a synthesizer that Charly would proudly sign, even if he had to descend a bit to do so. In ‘When you’re not here’, one of the great achievements of the post-epic Calamaro, he suffers a bit to find himself. His voice, still cold and without much strength, gropes for a hole that doesn’t appear.
The first ‘medley’ follows, which weaves together ‘La libertad’, ‘Carnaval de Brasil’ and a stanza of ‘Diego Armando songs’. A lot of poetry in a short time and an elegant rhythmic trot, which never starts to run but does not slow down either. In all the ‘medleys’ the band will stand out, exhibiting great cohesion and dynamism so that the music is a wave.
In ‘Verdades afiladas’, which is personal weakness, Calamaro hangs a Telecaster and abandons the keyboards. On foot, it’s the ‘minimalist frontman, moving just to mark the pulse with the heel but showing total intensity in each sentence. With his throat already on fire, the singer shows that the mature version of him gets much more juice out of the medium-slow tempo, which is where fakers differ from masters, than that of the impetuous young man driven by passion.
The first pure rock n’ roll of the night is the classic ‘Me Arde’, which sounds very heavy and includes a piano solo ‘a là stride’ from a superb keyboard player. The first half concludes with ‘Hostages’, which at first chokes the singer a bit, although he soon takes flight again.
In the second half, collaborations. Stellar’s Josele boy, a guitar arsonist and right hand. Delight in ‘Estadio Azteca’, where the singer also stands out, spurred on by the public and the mystique of the ball, ‘Aviones’ and ‘Para los demás’, with very plugged in squid hitting some serious ‘almost’ like Sinatra. Diego Garcia (Twanguero), in charge of backdrop, first, and guitar, in the end, also participates in ‘Without Documents’
‘All you need is pop’ is very surprising, with Calamaro trying more and more things. It’s eighties pop that suggests techno and evokes moments from Bowie and… Kraftwerk? Be?
Andrelo is generous with the vibrato and, although he shoots the stick on some notes, for seeking excellence he is forgiven for everything. Next is ‘El Salmón’, who needs no comment and ‘Maradona’, who once again highlights the mystique of the ball.
‘Yours always’ oscillates between reggae and cumbia, a perfect example of what the Argentine musical tradition is, rich in nuances, colors and rhythms. They assimilated American rock better than anyone and, after passing it through the filter of tango and ‘la clave’ (with everything that encompasses), they created something as unique and their own as the voice of Muddy Waters.
Calamaro, during the concert
The singer already glimpses the end. One last ‘medley’, the funniest, makes the stands of the Botanical to tremble. ‘My illness’, ‘Still a love song’, ‘I love you the same’ and ‘Sweet condemnation’ are performed without palliatives and with more electricity than on records. He highlights, for very nostalgic personal reasons, ‘I love you the same’. What will become of you?
Then ‘Flaca’ sounds and everything blurs. The legend grows and the singer’s shadow lengthens, cutting the air on a spring night. ‘High dirt’ and ‘Paloma’, with a precious memory of the brief but immortal pairing Clapton/Allman, mark the first ending. The band disappears, counts to 10 and charges again.
‘Crímenes perfectos’, a great short ballad, and ‘Los chicos’, without inventions, leave Calamaro, now yes, before the ovation of the public. He scans the Botanical with his eyes, hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, and says goodbye fighting with an Argentine flag. Today, Domingo, will be in the same place at the same time, but the summit will be different and the path to reach it is yet to be explored. The Singer adds and continues.
#singer #crowns #Botanical