Saturday, May 28, 2011

Day 3 at Primavera Sound: "Common People" in brief!

Yesterday it was a day of contrasts at Primavera Sound Festival.

The Good
The National: As expected, their gig was impressive. Probably Matt took to much wine, but that gave the concert a more physical side, even aggressive approach at some songs. Despite not really audible, seeing Sujfan Stevens performing with them was great. Stunning performances of "England" and "Squalor Victoria".
Confirmations: Like Cults on Thursday, Tennis were great yesterday afternoon. Lovely and joyful music, stunningly performed, and with real, unforced charm.
"Feeling the music": Wether it is the simple and pure joy of playing, like Aias, or the capacity of getting lost in the music, like Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg, leader of Avi Buffalo, that sort of attitude can really make the difference.


The Bad
Massification: It was clear from the start Friday was the "big day". At 17:00 pm the place was already pretty full, and by the time Avi Buffalo took the stage, one could easily guess one of the words of the night was going to be massification. I insist, the organizers of PS should take that issue into consideration, the Festival was really uncomfortable yesterday, at times uncomfortable to the extreme. And considering the spirit of PS its a contradiction.
More contradictions: to point out before moving into the music: why I was allowed to access the Festival with a bottle of water on Thursday, but forbidden yesterday? And why a bottle of water is dangerous, but a ball or a skateboard is not? Oh! one last thing, AGAIN: you need a lot of time to move from Llevant stage to San Miguel stage, so you'll probably will miss some shows. I ask the organizers to have in mind that.
Drunk people is not cool: Linked to the issue of massification, a gigantic drunk mass willing to move to the front of a concert can almost ruin it. Some additions: rubbish (why people cannot be more considered with the rest?) and drunk people makes a pretty disgusting combination. And people on drugs asking if you are interested in buying some cocaine is not cool either.

The Queen
P-U-L-P: After surviving the "angry mobs" and get, by chance, a fairly good place to see the concert, all I can say is that it was a phenomenal one! Jarvis Cocker was outstanding, the sound was great and the opportunity of enjoying, finally, "Disco 2000", "Do You Remember the First Time?", "Something Changed" and "Sorted For E's & Wizz". I missed some more "This Is Hardcore", but when Jarvis, an extraordinary frontman and entertainer, dedicated "Common People" to the ones who faced the unjustified repression at the Plaça Catalunya camp, saluting the "indignados", he made the impossible. He transformed the quintessential party song, the one that everyone was expecting to shout, jump and dance all over, into a protest song, a danceable hymn for the ones that are defending their rights.

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