By José Gandue @Gandour
Photo by Oscar Perfer @oscarperfer
to my family and those close to me.
A few days ago, a dear friend, who until recently was an intense participant in all the activities of Rock al Parque, and is now firmly disillusioned with the festival, I kept asking myself for the umpteenth time why I still felt this passion for the event. He couldn't understand how, after 23 years of having seen the contest born, he was still writing about it and discussing its most intimate details.
To be honest, there was a moment when I thought, "Here we go again," "His complaints and disappointments again," but I reflected and took the opportunity to respond to him., as if I wanted to make my position clear once and for all. I told him I had five arguments for that:
1. Rock al Parque has always been important in the development of Zonagirante.com, regardless of whether I liked a particular edition or not. My website was launched in 1999 and since then, I suspect, it has been the most consistent digital media outlet covering the festival. What's more: Zonagirante was initially a section of the defunct weekly newspaper Suburbia, a publication which, in accordance with the philosophy that several of us helped to build, was always captivated by the idea of a free festival, open to the public and involving the increasingly strong rock scene of the city.
2. In general, I have a very fond history with the festival, without dwelling on one or two unpleasant episodes. There I witnessed Superlitio's first massive performance, surprising the Bogota public who were still unaware of them. I was also at the overflowing Suicidal Tendencies concert in 2005, when I saw Mike Muir inviting the audience to climb onto the stage, breaking through the security barriers and (yes, irresponsibly, it must be admitted) making the few who managed it happy. That same year I cried while attending the best band I've ever seen at the festival, the Chilean band The Ganjas., playing that exciting eight-minute psychedelic symphony called Dancehall. I was behind the scenes for a good part of the time Pornomotora got tens of thousands of people singing their song Left. I witnessed the preparation undertaken by the attendees of the 2016 edition. Upon seeing the band Baroness on the lineup, they diligently learned most of their songs to fully enjoy their performance, surprising even John Dyer Baisley, who surely hadn't expected much from such a show in unfamiliar territory. I have countless memories like that, formed over all this time.
3. The topic of cultural public policies, and especially those related to music, fascinates me., and I strongly defend the existence of Rock al Parque, above the interests of the current rulers, because it is one of the few events where people from very different social strata coexist in the same space without any of them having privileges over the others. While private festivals sell «"a different world"», Rock al Parque promotes coexistence for everyone, it's that simple.
4. Every year, regardless of whether the poster appeals to me or not, I meet up with friends I only see at these activities. Being part of the press covering Rock al Parque has sometimes put me in uncomfortable situations, as I've often felt the organizers haven't given their all to ensure the festival achieves the desired results. I've had lengthy arguments with some of the event organizers because, for many, what happens in the park is just a matter of a few days, and once it's over, they simply give the signal that it's all checked off and carry on as if nothing happened. But, at the same time, every time I arrive at Simón Bolívar Park, I know I'm going to run into more than one acquaintance. with whom I will renew the conversation from last year and we will reinvent the world of rock in extensive talks And, once the competition is over, we look forward to meeting at the next edition to continue reaffirming our words.
5. Now, the most important point. This year in particular, knowing that Rock al Parque would take place between August 18th and 20th, It served as a reference date to help me boost my recovery. At the end of February, I had a health crisis that almost killed me and nearly resulted in the amputation of my left foot. When I arrived at the clinic, my blood sugar read 449, and I was just minutes away from a diabetic coma. I spent a little over a month in the hospital and then moved to a rehabilitation center to continue healing. I couldn't walk for four months, and when I told Adiela, the head of wound care who helped me treat my injuries, that I planned to go to Rock al Parque, she laughed and was scared at the same time. As soon as I got out of bed, I told Maria Camila, my physical therapist, that we should figure out how to get to Simón Bolívar Park safely. Yes, I know, it sounds crazy. I still missed several concerts during those days. I would have loved to see Deftones, Depeche Mode, and Gorillaz, but they were too close to the incident. Instead, I thought about August, and it seemed more than possible. Yesterday I went to pick up my Zonagirante accreditation to cover this festival again. I arrived walking with my super walking stick (it's called The Hurrycane, my mother gave it to me, and you wouldn't believe what a wonderful instrument it is). Six months later, on a sugar-free diet, thirty kilos lighter, and with the best smile I've had in years, I'll be there for all three days of the festival.
Then, as I told my friend at the end of our conversation, we can discuss whether Pennywise was the right band to close the final day or whether the lineup needed more Colombian and Latin American bands. For now, we'll just leave it at that. Rock al parque, at my age of fifty-two, still excites me and I am not ashamed of it.
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