By Santiago Rivas @Rivas_Santiago
Photo by Simona Malaika @simonamalaika
This Monday was a day full of sounds and proposals very different from each other, which came together in the park more as part of a series of experiments, which make up the line that the curator gave to the closing, normally dedicated to the noble task of summoning as many people as possible, so that the management report allows us to have a festival in the years to come.
The third day of Rock al Parque is a day that aims to please what is considered "the general public," and that usually ends up creating a hodgepodge, at least in the memory of someone who tried to be there from the beginning. That was somewhat the case, but I think it's worth trying to unravel the experiments or gambles taken by the curators and programmers, which have been developing since last year and became evident yesterday. We also have to talk, of course, about the highlights of the third day's lineup at Rock al Parque, which, believe it or not, is an event built around music.
The first strategy is to open the third day's stage with a top-tier band. In fact, the Plaza stage lineup featured well-known groups from the very beginning—Pulenta, Providencia, Che Sudaka, Cafres. I think it's a good experiment, which has at least worked with the journalists, because they were Many people arrived early to see the bands. Now we need to finish convincing the crowd, which is the crux of the whole thing, but they're making good progress.
The other gamble was the metal stage, which follows the same approach as Saturday's concert at the Media Torta: keeping all sections of the audience engaged throughout the festival, which I think is a smart move. The problem is that it was so smart that it got a little out of hand, in terms of capacity and sound. So, if they're going to bring in legends of the new South American metal scene like ANIMAL, they'd better put them on a large stage, with adequate sound, space for the press, and all the necessary equipment. Of course, they couldn't have known this until yesterday, when they saw the tremendous turnout for the Eco stage.
The third experiment, which ran throughout the festival, involved placing national bands (many local) between two international acts. It's not a new approach, except that these bands don't enjoy the same widespread popularity, with the possible exception of Koyi-K-Utho. Whether this will ultimately help more established bands from the mainstream, festival circuit connect with the district's massive audience remains to be seen.
Now let's talk about music: the highlights of the lineup that I managed to catch (because I missed Pulenta and Providencia, about whom I heard excellent things) started with Los Cafres. It's more a matter of empathy than taste, because I'm not a big fan of reggae, especially the kind made with so many sugary doses, but they're a very good band. Guillermo Bonetto is incredibly charismatic, and everyone responds to him, which makes these veterans of Río de la Plata reggae a band you always have to see.
Capsule is a waterspout: a power trio In every sense of the word, because they sound like a punch. The singer seems designed, body and soul, by Peter Capusotto's team, because he's in a very "we're rebels" kind of mood, without really explaining what that rebellion is about, but that's beside the point. They truly have a sound whose roots are perfectly identifiable, but it doesn't sound old or repetitive, quite the opposite. Those of us who were lucky enough to be there at the Bio stage knew how to appreciate their appearance. For me, they were the best band of the day.
Vetusta Morla, whom I only saw briefly, are a great band. They have a certain style that makes them seem out of place at Rock al Parque, because of their sensitive and sometimes mellow sound. But they have a powerful stage presence. I'm told the singer was getting angry on stage, and I'm told it was due to sound problems and disagreements about the day's delays. We'll talk about the sound later.
Soziedad Alkohólika has a huge fanbase who sang along to every song. They're a great band, they play from memory, and the singer is excellent. front man, who at times seems like a Tourette's patient, ending each song with "holy shit, what a pleasure." They have enormous balls and their generosity permeates the way they play: a very refreshing display of power.
Café Tacvba is, in my humble opinion, one of the five best bands on the planet. I don't think they care about this assessment at all, and it's not just mine. That only makes them greater. The versatility of their music, the joyful show they put on—which includes painful topics like the disappeared students and other crimes committed by drug cartels and corrupt power in Mexico—the way they connect with the audience, their knack for handling situations like yesterday's sound issues, make them a band that could close Rock al Parque every year. I doubt they'd want to, but there's that thought.
Now, about the sound: I don't know what happened, but these things deserve a review. There are accidents and circumstances impossible to predict, but the rain, the crowds, and the hustle and bustle of the soundboards are all predictable at Rock al Parque, so we need to thoroughly investigate why Vetusta Morla, Diamante Eléctrico, and Café Tacvba had such a flawed sound system. I don't agree with the tantrums that any of them might throw on stage, but I also think they're perfectly understandable.
See you next year, I hope.
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