Little has changed for Sen Senra in these last two years. He has completed his ambitious trilogy, yes, but the Movistar Arena is still not sold out and he still doesn’t care. And what joy for this last one. That the Galician artist has not even opted for the full capacity of the venue, unlike the last time, has nothing to do with a decline in musical quality. It is, quite simply, a marketing problem. One that has not prevented him from performing an expansive two and a half hour recital that, although it was not perfect, was the exciting finale that ‘PO2054AZ’ deserved.
When wondering what songs he should include in the farewell concert of this stage, which has given rise to three volumes of albums, Sen Senra looked in the mirror and said: yes. This “last mass” was made for the artist’s biggest fans, with three distinct parts. One for each album, in chronological order. He hasn’t sung all the songs on each LP, but almost. We have been able to hear live versions of many songs for the first time, but no trace of others that have remained constant in their setlist over the years, such as ‘Completely Loco’ or ‘Ataúd’. Nor is it that he has been left alone with the official plot, because ‘Padiante’ has been missed in the last part, because it is his only song in Galician.
During these years, and mainly at festivals, Sen Senra’s concerts have gone through many changes. We have seen him with an accompanying band, with a gospel choir for ‘Da Igual Que Opine La Gente’, with versions completely different from the originals… None of this has happened in his great mass. For the vast majority of the concert, what was seen on stage was Senra singing over the studio base. Very good, by the way, but nothing more. With how good the last part would have been with a real band. This is why the section of Volume II (‘The Emigrant’ or “If not, what did you eat here? Potatoes and collard greens?”, paraphrasing Senra’s grandmother) has been the least interesting, because the songs are a bit weaker. Bassoon? Maybe, but Christian has compensated on other fronts.
His proposal remains minimalist, with three slightly saturated sets so that Senra does not stop shining. This works by itself, with the wall of a house and a half-felled log in the first part, a bedroom in the second and a living room with vinyl in the last. But be careful, because the storytelling of the trunk ending the concert with new branches is a highlight. These sets felt like something out of a play. The dancers who accompanied some sections of the show only confirmed this idea. By the way, totally new. I couldn’t classify the type of dance with certainty, but contemporary and abstract seem like good adjectives to me. Theatrics reached their peak in the final moments of the concert, during ‘PO2054AZ’ and ‘Hasta El Fondo’, with dance becoming performance.
In addition to the welcome new features, Senra has also recovered some elements from all these years. One was the mechanical ending of ‘Don’t worry’. The other was Juan Habichuela’s guitar in ‘Familia’. It was the purely musical moment of, not only Volume I (‘The Origin’ or “Who said he was going to be an artist? And he did”), but of the entire concert. We first saw it two years ago and last night it was even better. It is directly one of the best things Sen Senra has done on stage. Impossible to close your mouth, both because of the self-confidence of the artists and because of the audience’s participation in the simple chorus.
“The Last of the Last” came to an end with Volume III, officially titled ‘The Return’. Senra’s grandmother did not participate in this interlude, but I was still able to capture the most appropriate title from the artist’s own words: “Tired and Happy.” This last part of the show was the one that best defined the journey of ‘PO2054AZ’, combining the most solemn moments with the epic nature of that type of odyssey. ‘Idea Loca’ and ‘ROMEO’ followed one another with Senra on guitar, acoustic and electric respectively, and not one more accompaniment. A loop pedal, the only thing. He, sitting calmly on a sofa. Then, when it seemed that there was no room for songs outside the trilogy, ‘Tumbado En El Jardín Viendo Atardecer’, ‘Perfecto’ and ‘Ya No Te Hago Falta’ followed one another. With the latter, the excitement was palpable in the air. It’s very hackneyed at this point, but on occasions like this you can’t do anything other than join in the applause.
The tone of the concert took a 360 degree turn instantly when the guitars of ‘Por Si Vuelve’ played and remained that way until ‘La Belleza’. No expense was spared on this song. Dancers here, fire there, Senra on guitar… The clear climax of the show, only capable of being surpassed by the purest emotion.
Sen Senra described his trilogy as a “process,” and not a simple “project.” That is why he had to hold back tears during his final speech: “This path forced me to go through many things, to lose one life to gain another.” In these moments, there was nothing left of Sen Senra’s mysterious and ‘cool as fuck’ character. On stage there was only a kid from Presqueiras freaking out about everything in front of him. The tribute to Woody Guthrie written on his guitar, a certainty: “This machine kills oblivion.”
