The band from Madrid, which has doubled in size on the presentation tour of ‘Cable a Tierra’, offered more than two hours of intense concert where their great classics triumphed
Despite having a recognizable style, Vetusta Morla stands out for being a band in constant evolution. They don’t like to repeat themselves, that’s why in addition to an album ‘Cable a Tierra’, they have launched a tour that is very different from the previous ones. The sextet, now converted into a group of twelve musicians thanks to the incorporation of members of the Galician group Alboria and the Palencian group Naán, landed this Friday at the Bilbao Arena after three years without performing in the Biscayan capital. They promised a “Celtiberian folk ritual” and the bet paid off instantly. Success before a dedicated public, which vibrated especially with the great classics of the band. More than two intense hours of dancing and 25 songs with impeccable sound.
They started with two new songs, ‘Puñalada trapera’ and ‘La Virgen de la Naturaleza’, which were quite a declaration of intent. They played the first song caged by the huge screens that crowned the stage, and with the second came Pucho’s first choreographies. The review of his classics began with ‘El hombre del bosa’ and ‘Golpe maestro’, whose lyrics changed to make a reference to the crown: “They didn’t leave us any more rascals to pay”.
After mentioning the two long years of the pandemic, “which are still in our heads like a percussive hammer”, Pucho presented the innovative proposal of Vetusta Morla. «This new album has helped us to connect with many things that seem very hackneyed, but that have to be worked on. We have connected with friendship, love and music », he assured. The vocalist pointed out that this health crisis has led us to discover “neighbors, neighborhood stores, our towns and our origins”, something that is reflected on his album and on stage, thanks to the incorporation of new musicians. They played endless percussion instruments, some wind instruments, and there were even several recited parts (which a part of the audience got a little stuck when they started to spread out). They especially shone with the tambourine and marking the rhythm gathered around a wooden table.
They interspersed ‘Maldita dulzura’, a successful duet with the chorus girl, between another batch of new songs. Especially well received was ‘Finisterre’, the first preview of this more earthly stage. His hit ‘Copenhagen’ caught on from the first chord. Then came the turn of ‘La Vieja Escuela’, with an intimate start on the keyboard that evolved into a very lively track. It included, by the way, a tribute to missing artists such as Amy Winehouse, David Bowie and Camarón de la Isla. ‘June 23’, that song that talks about the magical night of San Juan, served to mark a seized dance, “taking advantage of the fact that you don’t have to keep your distance anymore.”
They chained ‘Council of Wise Men’ with ‘What makes you great’ and the fun ‘Palmeras en La Mancha’, in which he changed the lyrics in the stanza that talks about boxing to say «I could be the hook that hits Chris Rock ». There was also a modification of the song in ‘Te lo digo a ti’, where Pucho discreetly dared with ‘Sarri sarri’. Explosion of joy with ‘Valiente’, throats taken to the extreme with ‘Save yourself who can’ and constant choirs with ‘Saharabbey Road’, while a couple of balloons with the text ‘Sahara Aske’ flew among the audience.
After the encore they played ‘Si te bankruptcy’, a downbeat moment that served to take a breath before the final fireworks: ‘Cuarteles de Invierno’ and ‘Los dias rares’, turned into an involuntary anthem during confinement. The umpteenth demonstration that Vetusta Morla continues to be one of the best Spanish bands of the moment.