Caetano Veloso @ the Barbican

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Did anyone here go to this? I'd been looking forward to it hugely, but I must say I was a bit disappointed. Although part of the Tropicalia season, he only performed a handful of Tropicalia songs - which were great, and an indication of what this could have been. He also buggered off halfway through the set and let the band (including son Moreno) do about six songs on their own. All in all, a pretty badly structured set.
I'm hoping for better things when I see Gal Costa there in a few weeks' time.

― David Rothon (eyesteel), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 12:07 (twenty years ago)

(a lurker speaks..)
i saw this, and was fairly underwhelmed too. did you go to the talk the day before? that was a lot more rewarding, an interesting insight into (amongst other things) how fat gilberto gil was in the 60s. cae must've only played at tops about 8-9 songs on sunday..

― powpowpow, Tuesday, 11 April 2006 12:34 (twenty years ago)

I missed the talk the day before, but sounds like a riot! How did he come across. I'm currently reading Tropical Truth and, while very interesting, as someone trying to grasp the complexities of the Brazilian music scene, I also find it all a bit intellectualised. It's only pop music....

― eyesteel (eyesteel), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 12:43 (twenty years ago)

it seemed like that was mostly what cae was trying to put across, that it was only pop music and not as directly political as some would have it. the talk took a very leisurely ramble through aspects of his 60s experience, centering on his imprisonment/exile. very funny, mostly anecdotal. he didn't touch on anything particularly revelatory, it was more a joy watching him think through his past and giggle furiously at everything..

― powpowpow, Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:09 (twenty years ago)

It wasn't only pop music, as the subtitle of the book points out, it was a very politicized moment in Brazil's history fueled by pop music. It was a very deliberate attempt, by Caetano especially, to use popular culture to expand the bounds of how Brazilians thought about themselves, wasn't it?

― mcd (mcd), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:14 (twenty years ago)

Sorry to have missed it, in that case - perhaps the book comes across as overly serious where he is in fact a lot more playful (as much of his best music suggests).

― eyesteel (eyesteel), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:14 (twenty years ago)

'It wasn't only pop music, as the subtitle of the book points out, it was a very politicized moment in Brazil's history fueled by pop music. It was a very deliberate attempt, by Caetano especially, to use popular culture to expand the bounds of how Brazilians thought about themselves, wasn't it?'

That's certainly true, and obviously important. I guess it's just that, for me, the relentlessness of the theorising gets a bit much.

― eyesteel (eyesteel), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:24 (twenty years ago)

He definitely came across as an artiste in the book. It sort of amazed me how deliberate the whole thing was, as in "OK I'm going to invent tropicalia now." and then he went and did it. Anyway, I didn't mean to get the thread off track, I wish I saw his talk!

― mcd (mcd), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:38 (twenty years ago)

chupacabras to thread!

― The Day The World Turned Dayglo Redd (Ken L), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:44 (twenty years ago)

The concert was a huge let-down after the hysterically funny talk, it just seemed almost entirely perfunctory, and I was shocked at the way it ended. Maybe he didn't like the audience, or was pissed off that his son's band didn't get a better reception.

― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 18:10 (twenty years ago)

Although having said that, his renditions of 'Terra' and 'Enquanto seu lobo nao vem' were mesmerising.

― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 18:12 (twenty years ago)

Moreno's really really good by the way, at least that "Music Typewriter" album was.

― eek, Tuesday, 11 April 2006 21:23 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, what's up with the followup?

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 21:35 (twenty years ago)

I've seen him live twice now and I don't think I'll be repeating the experience. Lovely though his voice is, there's always something that irritates me.

His recorded output is more interesting:

Caetano Veloso S and D

― Daniel Giraffe (Daniel Giraffe), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 07:20 (twenty years ago)

"Music Typewriter" is a great album. Unfortunately, one of the +2 took the helm on the follow up, Domenico +2.

http://www.luakabop.com/photobio/Domenico/domenicobio.html

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 13:18 (twenty years ago)

I saw him (Caetano) a year or two ago at Carnegie Hall and he was wonderful, even when we were also saddled with David Byrne.

― someone let this mitya out! (mitya), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 14:39 (twenty years ago)

I...like David Byrne.

― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 18:29 (twenty years ago)

is the Domenico + 2 album bad, then? I thought he added an interesting dimension to Music Typewriter, and I generally prefer muso-stuff to songwriter-stuff.. Also, the title is really great. I want to hear it!

― ghost dong (Sonny A.), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 19:03 (twenty years ago)

what! the domenico +2 record is amazing. personally i like it much better than music typewriter, and it is most certainly less 'songwriter'-y. I saw them live in chicago fairly recently, it was one of the best things i've seen in forever. the last one (kassin +2) is supposed to be coming out this year

― bangelo (bangelo), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 19:17 (twenty years ago)

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