Shaman performed at Audio, in São Paulo, last Sunday, the 31st, in a show on the tour promoting the album Rescue , their first with Alírio Netto , and celebrating the 20th anniversary of Ritual , a classic song by the band, at Audio.
At 8:30 PM, the performance was announced by Marcello Pompeu , vocalist of Korzus , who took the stage to thank the production company HonorSounds and the audience. Although it wasn't a sold-out show, Audio was packed with fans who already showed the celebratory atmosphere during the opening act by Allen Key , a band that only left the stage after heeding the chants of "One more! One more!" shouted by the receptive crowd.
This energy was well-coordinated and used to the show's advantage from the very first song Shaman performed that night. Under the silent yet firm guidance of Hugo Mariutti , who was able to communicate what he expected from the fans with glances or simple hand gestures, the audience became an integral part of the performance from the very beginning of the set, when they were invited to fill in some moments of technical adjustments with applause and shouts right after the opening with "Tribute".
Equally energetic and relaxed from the start of the show, Alírio Netto has certainly won over the audience in the very difficult task of taking over the position left so abruptly Andre Matos Queen Extravaganza with the approval of Brian May and Roger Taylor , the artist proves to be a wise choice in his rapport with his colleagues and in moments like "Fairy Tale," later in the evening, when he sang impressive notes.
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The show is composed of these details of each artist's personality and musicality, with the audience reciprocating by calling out the names of Luis Mariutti , affectionately nicknamed Jesus since his RockGol days , Hugo, and Alírio on more than one occasion. In the background, seen only as a silhouette against the screen, keyboardist Fabio Ribeiro delivers a standout performance, playing with ease and a touch of theatricality, while Ricardo Confessori is a powerful machine on the drums, keeping the entire structure running.
Shaman delivered a competent and dedicated performance through the entire Rescue , with particular emphasis on the tribute "Gone Too Soon," dedicated to the Maestro. Beginning with a moving scene, with almost the entire band absent from the stage except for Alírio on piano, the track marked the most introspective moment of the performance.
The format of presenting a newly released album in its entirety and then following it with an acclaimed album from their discography, soon to be repeated by Edu Falaschi Vera Cruz and Rebirth tour , has the advantages of a more complete experience and the opportunity to hear songs that, over time, will probably not be played again, something unique for the band as well, in addition to bringing back memories of other times.
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Despite this, moments like Alírio's attempt to throw the chorus of "Resilience" to the audience without a sufficiently warm response ("They need to learn the lyrics," he joked, unfazed) and the nearly three-hour show, with a 10-minute break between both parts, raise questions about whether there is really a need to present the most recent release in its entirety or whether it would be more prudent to select only the highlights of the new work before moving on to the main highlight of the night.
One thing is certain: the band and the fans seem to enter a new atmosphere when the intro to “Ancient Dreams” announces Ritual at the show. Suddenly, it feels like the show has just begun, with the audience singing every word, with “Distant Thunder” as the first big moment of the night, the whole place jumping – and the choruses delivered confidently to the crowd eager to let loose.
The special guests were saved for the end, with the return of Karina Menascé from Allen Key to share vocals with Alírio on "Blind Spell," which also marked the arrival of bassist Fernando Quesada, replacing Jesus. The musician also stayed for "Ritual," performing with great ease and receiving a warm welcome from the audience.
Next, Alírio's relaxed demeanor proved welcome once again as he introduced the band with anecdotes about each of his colleagues, calling Hugo "cute" and one of the best composers he'd ever met, and Luis having an emotional moment talking about his health problems and two surgeries he underwent before the performance, taking the opportunity to praise the new frontman: "There couldn't have been a more perfect person."
In the final stretch of the show, the missing guests arrived: Bruno Sutter and Rafael Bittencourt seemed like extended members of the band during "Pride," creating a Helloween with alternating vocals and a powerful performance. When the creator of Detonator left the stage, Rafael stayed on to surprise the audience by playing Angra ," much to their delight.
The night ended on a high note with “Turn Away”, from the album Reason (2005), sealing the relationship of mutual support between the audience and the band in São Paulo, showing how it is possible to navigate between past and present and thrive.
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