The first of the two presentations of Love of Lesbian In Cruïlla for the 15th anniversary of the festival – the second today will include the participation of friends of the industry such as Viva Sweden, Alizz or Valeria Castro – was the expected communion ritual. Perhaps it became shorter than usual. Santi Balmes, as Frontman so close and charismatic, took the public from the hand through the epic trips of his songs, which, from the initial ‘Salvation Army’, going through ‘1999’, ‘where we used to scream’ or the odyssey of ‘Under the volcano’, fulfilled their mission of putting the spirit well above. More or less through the clouds and beyond: the entire concert was a sustained euphoria exercise.
Rigoberta Bandini “appeared” on the screen to interpret with Balmes ‘contradiction’. In principle it will not be one of the guest stars tonight, but who knows: the tour of ‘Jesus Superstar’ has several free holes between today and the next concert, July 16 in Madrid. I imagine that Rigoberta will spend the deserved vacation.
Balmes remembered Toni Cruz, a member of the Trinca, who died on Friday, but, above all, he took advantage of his platform to protest the rise of fascism and call the occasional imprint to Netanyahu. He recalled a phrase supposedly signed by the writer Antonio Tabucchi at some point in the last century: “There are three things that are incompatible with each other: intelligence, decency and fascism.” Then he joked with the participation in Cruïlla de Thirty Seconds to Mars. What does Jared Leto have that I don’t have? “Balmes said, before closing, as he has started and followed, in style, with ‘John Boy Fans Club.’ We will find out later.
See a Leon Bridges In Action it seems to attend a concert by Donny Hathaway during the 70s. He and his band – which includes two pianos, in addition to acoustic guitar, keyboard, bongos or choristers – propose a retro concert that crosses different eras of the last century: the 50, 60 and especially the 70s that evoke the country effluvians of ‘Leon’, the album it presents during this day.
Birdges, hidden under his adjusted Beanie, and dressed as a Texan, as he asks for his current musical stage, does not hesitate to marked a shy dance that another if the song requires it, but dazzles for its formality, because of the way it lets you ballads like ‘when a man cries’ or that breeze in the heat wave that is ‘Panther City’ speak for themselves.
Unfortunately I have to go to the concert of Thirty Seconds To Mars (Unfortunately, I mean, for having to abandon Bridges, ahem), but I will return to the set of bridges to listen to the piece of Jam with ‘Smooth Sailin’ and, above all, its greatest success, ‘Beyond’, that the public Korea excitedly (and some couple danced it excitedly). I have no evidence but you don’t doubt that this song is marrying half the world. Interestingly, it will be Jared Leto who married a couple during their show.
Returning to Santi Balmes’ question, what does Jared Leto have that he doesn’t have? Suddenly: a flamethrower gun. A torch. Fire jets. Fire. And Confetti explosions (in the second song; if Love of Lesbian comes up from the beginning, Thirty Seconds to Mars reset the thermometer). Black balloons. In short, Thirty Seconds to Mars are going with everything. The problem is that the abundance of resources does not guarantee a show as entertaining and fun as you expect.
The messianic energy of Thirty Seconds to Mars may not be for everyone, but of course Leto and his bandmates, including the drums, his brother Shannen, who pets him- are given to the role. Especially Leto, which hours before had played anonymity during his stay in Barcelona. I enjoy the epic of ‘Walk On Water’, how well the Electronic Beats of ‘Hurricane’ and the titanic ‘Closer to the Edge’ sound live, which makes me return to adolescence.
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However, some decisions wear the rhythm of the show. It is lawful that Leto draws fans to the stage -among the lucky ones, the Barcelona Joan -but the group resorts to the same trick at the end of the set, this time inviting an army of followers among the first rows. Among them, a couple who requested the hand. Congratulations to the lovers, but the scene looks too prepared. Before, as if to take a breath of the ocean of “ooh ooh oohs” that floods the Thirty Seconds to Mars show (in that they look like Love of Lesbian), Leto can be asked for silence to “call” a friend on the phone. It is recorded on video with the mobile, but absolutely nothing is heard. For at least a couple of minutes, the public is completely out of the pace of the concert.
So what does Leto have no balmes? Well, many things (especially things with fire), but I keep the ability to Balmes to connect with the public from complicity and emotion, without resorting to a deployment of artifice that do not even translate into original ideas. I also stay with Balmes’ initiative to pronounce themselves politically. It is not that nobody is obliged to talk about anything, but he is grateful when an artist publicly demonstrates that he does not live on his back to reality.
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Another artist who does not need absolutely anything but his grace, humor and mood to interact with the public, to build an entertaining, grateful and memorable show, is Sharleen Spiteri, leader of Texas. The Scottish group also plays with the disadvantage of leaving late, almost at one at night. Spiteri resorts to the usual tricks – ask us if we are well, if we like to dance, make us sing or shout what she wants- but works because he knows how to get the public in his pocket. When he expresses that «if you want only to listen to music, listen to the albums; This has to do with us and you, ”you know he says it very seriously.
Spiteri is so in his sauce that a moment of complicity with guitarist Tony McGovern caught the unsuspecting musician. He looks at him smiling, sideways, and asks “What?” The collective communion is assured from the first moment with ‘I Don’t Want to Lover’, it reaches a peak in ‘Summer are’ – which arrives, by surprise, in Ecuador – and disarms in the various vocal lucidos of Spiteri, especially when he sits to the piano to sing ‘Tired of Being Alone’ by Al Green. Spiteri’s robust and powerful voice continues in full form.
The concert continued up with the sixties of ‘When we are Together’ -who has always sat so well, am I the only one who remembers his 2008 solo album? -but in ‘In demand’ the rain, finally, he reached the Parc of the Fòrum. It fell lightly but constantly – and more and more intensity – and, at that time, I decided to undertake an epic trip to my house.
