By Santiago Rivas' team @rivas_santiago Photo by Simona Malaika @simonamalaika
If I were the curator of Rock al Parque, the second day would always be my favorite. In this year's lineup, the strongest pieces on paper were on Saturday and Monday. Between the metal stars and the shows designed "for the masses", it's easy to underestimate Sunday's lineup, which always appeals to several niches that aren't as big as metal or pop. The second day is always the day of the weirdos.
To illustrate my point, How to Murder Felipes opened my Sunday afternoon. Their complex and energetic music is a demonstration of power, but also of stubbornness. They sound like a machine. They never stop playing throughout their entire performance, leaving a trail of noise when they finish. I'd like to say that it's like what happens with bands where the drummer is the leader, where the melodies become entire phases of sound, because that's exactly what happens. But there's no band like them. It's a very unusual sound at Rock al Parque, which is why they went on so early; but the audience that had the privilege of seeing them this afternoon was able to enjoy them to the fullest. The satisfaction of encountering their music, a mix of jazz, rock, noise, rap, and many other things that blend together, as if creating a collage with things you find on the street, always leaves a little perplexed, a lingering aftertaste.
Coma state, like all hardcore bands, It's a band full of anger, that sounds like a fist, or a succession of fists. If a hardcore band doesn't sound like this, it's probably not a hardcore band. The good thing is that these guys from Cali, who have been doing what they know for quite some time, bring all the good vibes of the capital of Valle del Cauca, and they don't take themselves too seriously. That's appreciated.
Zhaoze was a gamble: A Chinese progressive rock band that had never performed outside their country. That description alone was enough to make them an attractive addition to the lineup, but there was always the possibility that they would be nothing more than an exotic act, lacking any real spark. Fortunately, they were the highlight of my day, and for many others. The quality of this band far exceeded the expectations of those of us who went to see them, and I think they themselves were blown away by the number of people who came to see them and applauded their every move., including the five Spanish words that their leader knew how to say.
I can say without a doubt that everyone who saw Zhaoze will remember their performance for years to come. Their music combines the conventional trio of a rock band (guitar, bass, drums). with a guzheng, a traditional Chinese stringed instrument. The beauty lay in the way the songs suddenly became themes, and from themes they became moments of pure sound, where the lines of the four instruments blended perfectly and in theWe all knew how to get lost and let ourselves be enveloped. A complete journey, including the visuals. Thanks for everything.
Following this great moment, another one. A few years ago, when 8BM first played at Rock al Parque, my reviews weren't great. They weren't scathing, but I felt at the time that they weren't living up to their potential. Now, after their second performance, I can say with relief, but mostly with joy, that they've grown tremendously as a band. They have managed to create an interesting and powerful sound, It satisfies those seeking a jolt as much as those paying close attention to every fiber of the sound in a band whose main component is electronic music. Hopefully, they will continue down this path, evolving their sound and taking it to its ultimate conclusion. The crowd's response supports what I'm writing; everyone on the Eco stage agreed that we had witnessed one of the strongest acts of the day. Please keep it up, and congratulations.
There's nothing better to digest this dose of noise and energy than to turn to the king of good vibes. But first, an editorial: It is a blessing that Rock al Parque ignores the quasi-fascist requests that appeal to "rock" as a way of demanding that mestizo, electronic, rap, tropical, Caribbean or Pacific coast music, etc., not be played; in short, nothing that could interfere with that stupid and falsely purist idea of a music born in the bowels of black America. All this to emphasize the double joy of going to listen to Elkin Robinson on the Bio stage.
Elkin Robinson, as a scholar of music, but also as an ambassador of the still remote island of Providence, He is one of the most important young musicians in Colombia today. Not only has her presence brought the lives of our forgotten and neglected islands to the forefront, but she has also revitalized the music of mainland Colombia. Her latest album blends every possible rhythm within the joyful Caribbean tradition. Her presentation was simply beautiful; So much so, that for a moment we all felt the sun shining, after eight o'clock at night. Everyone dancing, smiling, united, and at peace. So please let's resist the temptation and not go live on the islands, bringing our bad vibes and ridiculous anxiety with us. Let them continue doing the beautiful things they do. Let's just give them the attention they deserve. (and its equivalent in silver, for the improvement of whatever needs improving).
Sunday's closing was difficult, because it wasn't worth missing any of the artists whose schedules overlapped at the end of each stage. As I was watching Don Elkin, I started with Macaco (which, incidentally, was the one I was least excited about). People were delighted to see this other ambassador of good vibes, who launched straight into his message of love, so necessary and so relevant in a country that tends to divide itself at the slightest provocation. From what I could hear, Only traces remained of their sound, which fused reggae with some anti-globalization pop., Gone was that beautiful fusion of Barcelona's new rumba and a touch of rap. Perhaps it came later, but there was no time to lose.
Titan is a marvel. It's much better now than I remembered, actually. The performance on the ECO stage left everyone dancing, amazed. It's not that we didn't know they make upbeat, danceable music, but on the contrary, we were unaware of the tremendous energy of their music, which goes far beyond pop, and far beyond so-called "electronic music.". It is music made with great pleasure; Unpretentious, yet unpretentious. Their sound is predominantly electronic, but Jay de La Cueva and Silverio (bass and guitar, respectively) are accomplished musicians with plenty of character. They're not a band that's been making waves in Colombia lately, but I'm sure they'll start getting airplay tomorrow, or the day after.
Finally, I think Obituary ended too soon. I don't like it when people mosh in the press area, where there are people working with their tripods and cameras, whose responsibility should take precedence over the children, nephews, friends, and so on of whoever gave them wristbands, but I understand them. I understand them because Obituary gave a very generous performance. Their music isn't my favorite, but seeing John Tardy singing with that raw voice, amidst his band that sounds like a roaring engine, was something worth seeing. I didn't see as much as I wanted, and everyone's satisfaction was enough to understand why, but I don't regret it. I think I managed to end a great day at the festival very well.
One negative thing: I understand if you think journalists are insufferable freeloaders, and I'm very sorry that everyone is constantly asking for things for free., But it is extremely important that the free Wi-Fi in the press area works better. Or rather, that it works at all. I made the terrible mistake of switching to ETB, and that's my fault, but it's happening to users of other providers too: the signal in the park is awful, and the idea is that we can take advantage of the technology to tell the story of what happens at Rock al Parque to the best of our ability. It's great that they've put internet in the press area, but it's not exactly a favor, because nobody, or almost nobody, goes to the tent to play Farmville, or anything like that. The effort to create a better press area is wasted if the router ends up stopping working. We await your kind reply; we are working for your comfort. Thank you very much in advance. See you in the park, because the third day looks great.
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