By Sergio Verano León
While having heard of Luis Alberto Spinetta at a time when accessing his work wasn't so readily available, knowing some of his songs was already a privilege in life., His records and even his name were almost nonexistent in record stores. Therefore, having the opportunity to attend one of his concerts was perhaps unthinkable for many. Seeing El Flaco live must have been a dream come true for countless people of all ages and minds eager to learn more about his exquisite work, characterized by his unique way of writing and performing music. El Flaco didn't make a name for himself with large tours, either on the continent or abroad. However, he visited some countries during his career, and in 2004 it would be Colombia's turn.
In late October and early November, the tenth edition of the Rock al Parque festival would take place in the Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park in Bogotá, with a great lineup And the good news of Spinetta's first and only visit to the country, who would close the second of three days of the festival, and at the same time fulfill the dream of thousands of fans who for years awaited such a dreamlike moment.
On Saturday, October 30th, The bar El Sitio would be the first sound station of Flaco. The concert opened with a performance by the little-known and underrated local band Ardila Lunch (Alejandro Gómez Garzón, Juan Carlos Padilla, Álvaro “Coque” Arango, Diego Aguilera, and Juan Andrés Otálora), who delivered an impeccable set of their best songs, perfectly suited to the occasion. Meanwhile, The Skinny One was backed by a star-studded roster: He was accompanied on bass by Nerida Nicotra, on keyboards by Claudio Cardone, on drums by Christian Judurucha, on sound by Mariano López and his great friend and right-hand man on stage Anibal "La vieja" Barrios, who are surprised by an outpouring of euphoria from the visitors who know that they will experience a magical and unforgettable night. El Flaco arrives armed with what he calls "his best friends"; two guitars made by the Argentine luthier Rudy Pensa. The repertoire chosen for his first show in Bogotá covered a large part of his career, including Prayer for a Sleeping Child, Bleeding Peach, Uranium Era, Wake Up Baby, Buenos Aires Summary, Lost in You, Little Angel, and several tracks from his latest album For the Trees, Among others. This tour was quite emotional and dreamlike. It was incredible to see him so close and with such immense humility, showing his gratitude for the warm and unique welcome from the Colombian people. Faced with the uncontrolled screams of most of the attendees, who were requesting their favorite songs, El Flaco said: “Let me tell you something, do you know what I do? When people request a lot of songs, I surprisingly say to them; let's see, what songs would you like to hear? (the audience responds by shouting a number of titles) and I tell you the same thing I tell you there, I didn't understand any of the titles, so I'm going to play whatever I want.”. The day was filled with tears of joy and nostalgia, as time seemed to stand still, making his performance an unbelievable scene. Finally, El Flaco bid farewell to the audience, who were captivated by his work, saying: “"I'm saying goodbye now, see you tomorrow, soundcheck is at 8 a.m."” and closes with the legendary Ludmila Spinetta Jade, making the attendees burst with joy and movement.
On Sunday, October 31st, The second sound station would be the stage in the main square of Simón Bolívar Park, Preceded by the local band Morfonia and their compatriots Babasónicos, Spinetta's quartet, wanting a more intimate stage setup, took to the stage and performed a repertoire that included songs from the previous night and others such as New Moon, Arjo World y The Waves. That night was not only special for those who saw such a living legend of Latin American music for the first and last time, but also for Spinetta himself, who said in an interview: “I just came from playing in Colombia, at Rock al Parque, in front of a crowd of 150,000 people, who did so much for me, and gave me such a standing ovation, that I will never forget it in my life. I could say it was the most successful show since I started playing until now. Why? Because I had never been to play in Colombia before, and the night before I played in a small club for a thousand people, but the next day I faced a crowd eager to see the old Spinetta. They had been waiting for me for 30 years, and when I started to sing, something happened, an energy, something like that, I swear, unforgettable.”. It was undoubtedly an unprecedented night, filled with carefully executed sounds and a vast musical immensity that, for many, is beyond imagination, but for Spinetta, is simply music. It is not unreasonable to say that on the night of October 31, 2004, El Flaco changed the lives of many.
