Text by Patricia C. Figueiredo
After a whole month of tragedy and suffering due to the floods that affected almost 95% of the cities in Rio Grande do Sul, the production company Abstratti organized a benefit festival in Porto Alegre that brought together musicians from different genres in a night of great music. All ticket proceeds were donated to the NGO Sopão Solidário.
The festival took place last Friday, the 31st, at Plaza Hub, the event center of Plaza São Rafael, which can accommodate around 200 people. The low stage with a flag of Rio Grande do Sul in the corner and the simple lighting from the spotlights completed the intimate and refined atmosphere. Despite the chairs being available, many chose to occupy the space standing, with more freedom to enjoy the music.
Musician Igor Assunção opened the festival with an acoustic version of the Rio Grande do Sul state anthem. In his performance, the lyrics were altered to read "a people without virtue ends up being abandoned." This change is a protest against a racist passage in the original lyrics.
The evening began with a bit of folk. Juarez Maraz , dressed in a caramel brown jacket with fringed sleeves, was joined by King Jim , saxophonist of the legendary Rio Grande do Sul band Garotos da Rua , to play Neil Young .
Mell Costa took to the stage with original pop songs, and singer Roxy delivered a fantastic acoustic cover of Tina Turner Elis Regina 's "Como Nossos Pais ." Next up was the well-known vocalist Jacques Maciel . Also in an acoustic format, he performed the classics "Tardes de Outono" and "O Inferno Vai Ter Que Esperar," from his band Rosa Tattooada .
Actor and filmmaker Werner Schumann became known for playing the historical figure of Bento Gonçalves in the 2004 miniseries "A Casa das Sete Mulheres," but he also knows a lot about music. With his new band, Werner e o Bando , they presented good old plugged-in rock and roll, playing original songs and some covers. According to Schumann, the band does blues reinterpretations of great Brazilian music hits. This included the ballad "Fuga" by Lúpicio Rodrigues and even a double feature of Roberto Carlos 's "Negro Gato" and "Que Vá Tudo Pro Inferno."
Continuing with the plugged-in rock, Fredi Chernobyl and Nando Endres from Comunidade Nin Jitsu appeared with the iconic "Foxy Lady" and "Voodoo Child" by the legendary Jimi Hendrix .
The trio Pata de Elefante also made an appearance. They warmed up the cold night accompanied by King Jim, who returned to the stage with his saxophone, and together they played great hits from Garotos da Rua such as “Eu Sei”, “Você é Tudo Que Eu Quero” and “Só Pra Te Dar Prazer”, the latter featuring Fabrício Beck from the band Vera Loca . Pata de Elefante also played some of their original tracks; the band plays an instrumental sound, a pure, traditional rock with strong blues elements.
The music continued into the night, and the audience was invited to move closer to the stage. Marcelo Schmidt, musician and manager of the Plaza Hub venue, further energized the event with “Pride and Joy” by Stevie Ray Vaughan , “Misirlou” by Dick Dale and the Del Tones , and “Suspicious Minds” by Elvis Presley . Producer Ricardo Finocchiaro also took over the vocals to sing “Hoochie Coochie Man,” and Renato Osório ( Atomic Elephant ) and André Nascimento ( Rock n Roll Train ) also joined the musicians on stage before closing the night, playing “Used to Love Her” by Guns N' Roses and “Love Ain't No Stranger” by Whitesnake .
It was a night with great cover bands and the presence of incredible artists from Rio Grande do Sul, reinforcing the region's music scene amidst the painful moment that the people of Rio Grande do Sul are experiencing. We hope that the wave of solidarity continues because the impacts of this climate disaster have been felt directly by those who lost much or even everything in the floods, but also by all the people of Rio Grande do Sul who see their land going through such suffering.
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