By José Gandue @spinning zone
Cover art by Zonagirante Studio
AND…..
This article is difficult to write. The outlook for Latin America's largest free festival is not very encouraging. And the truth is that I want to be respectful of the effort made by the District Institute of the Arts, the entity in charge of Rock al Parque. But the selection is poor, often boring, and stagnant. It is a nostalgia contest where many of the participating bands are walking museums exhibiting an antiquated sound from which new Bogota audiences have little to learn. It's 2024 and the festival offers us a journey through the time tunnel to the 1980s., Selling nostalgia to an audience mostly under thirty. Come on, guys, sing along with us to the hits of yesterday, today, and forever!, My little yellow water, My illness, The kid from my neighborhood, Go away… oh really?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's no sense of risk, innovation, or courage in the curatorial approach here. Perhaps it all stems from the meaning of Rock these days, and understanding why new generations are moving away from what the genre proposes. But, let's see, a few weeks ago, as an intellectual exercise, We showcase a series of Latin American musical offerings that are current, have a great live performance, and have much to share with all of us. Of course, we're still stuck in the silly debate about what rock is, and there are always those regulatory and doctrinaire dinosaurs whose mission is to make sure we don't get contaminated by the new waves., Or perhaps we should open our minds a little to understand that the festival can be more useful and more fun if it ventures into proposals that break the mold.. We still have a concept of gender that's too tied to a toxic masculinity that we must overcome as soon as possible. Are there any interesting acts among the international groups? Not many, I dare to recommend the Mexican films Margaritas Podridas, Arde la sangre and little else.
And what's the situation like on the local side? The selection of striking district artists is very limited. Is this really the best we can choose from among the participants in the Bogota scene? If so, the situation is worrying. I like Mad Tree, Boca de Serpiente, and I'm curious about Burning Caravan's new show. I'll have to listen to a few of them live, as their recordings don't yet have great audio quality, but honestly,It's that many bands think that music ended in 1989 and that from then on everything will be just repeating itself. Those of us who live in Bogotá know that this is not true, that there is a lot to listen to, but the selection criteria fail, and fail badly.
Do you think I'm exaggerating? «"Gandour, the complainer again, nothing convinces him."». I experienced some very interesting editions of Rock al Parque, and it wasn't that long ago. And I don't think the problem is money; the budget is enough for a more attractive, more modern poster. Note that the big names for the festival haven't been announced yet, and perhaps that's where the interesting part lies. Hopefully things will improve, hopefully.
P.S. The vast majority of Rock al Parque posters throughout its history They have been, how to put it,… horrible., This year's may be one of the worst.It is a strange jumble of mythologies from far removed from western Bogota. There are reminiscences of ancient Egypt here, and some hints of Viking culture, a bored condor perching on a guitar, And, of course, total darkness. Cliché after cliché after cliché. A diverse, free, open-air festival, a source of pride for the city, with daytime and nighttime events., He can't keep failing to maintain his image in such a sad way. And the strange thing of all is that the posters for the other park festivals have attractive illustrations, vibrant colors, and references closer to what we experience. Here again, the meaning the Bogotá mayor's office uses for the word "Rock" is striking. A blunder.
