One could come to imagine festivals as living entities that mature and acquire new properties over the years. In this way we could say that the Festival life has reached its adulthood this year, reaffirming a series of characteristics that distinguishes it from other similar events and that has led them to embrace the motto/declaration of intent of “This Is Not A Festival”.
For now, in this edition it has become more evident than ever that Vida has specialized in hosting families with young children, who have their own entertainment space at the entrance to the Can Cabanyes forest. If in previous years it could shock the most novice to find numerous baby carriages, this 2023 has been the year of those huge two-seater transport carriages that have caused the envy of more than one adult who would not have minded being dragged comfortably around the compound without even having to walk. And here we enter another of the differences of Vida with respect to other similar appointments. I am referring to the average age of the attendees, which is closer to forty than to twenty. One more reinforced target if possible this year by a cast of artists such as Jorge Drexler, Julieta Venegas, Spiritualized, Lori Meyers o Suede whose proposals are not aimed precisely at the youngest.
Festival life It is therefore an event in which the purchasing power of the attendee is presumed to be high and that they want to be treated with kindness and without having to wait in long lines to satisfy their needs. A demanding public that finds in Vilanova i La Geltrú an appointment of human dimensions, that moves in an average of ten thousand attendees per day and that does not aspire to grow much more, putting above all that the experience is satisfactory in terms of which refers to services. An objective that they more than achieve, even if that implies that the hubbub is not comparable to that of other similar events, although many strive to make their laurels green again.
At this point, and entering into the summary of what happened on an artistic level, it is worth speaking, as in all events of this nature, of unforgettable moments that will remain indelible in the memory, also of solvent concerts and, of course, , of some other disappointment.
In the first category, that of a memorable moment that will be remembered over the years, it is necessary to highlight above all the concert of the small square the last of the days in one of the smaller scenarios located inside the forest. While the Scottish Glasvegas played in one of the two largest spaces, the ones who took the upper hand were the people from Granada who put the space’s reception capacity to the test. More than one might think, and rightly so, that it would still have been better to have inverted the stages, but then you realize that the concert in La Plazuela would not have reached the category of mythical, of a gig that will be remembered over the years. years and that will lead you to proudly affirm: “I was there the year that La Plazuela blew up ‘La Cabana de JägerMusic’”. The year they got the whole world to vote with their carefree flamenco-electro that can put Los Chichos in the same bag with Camela filtered by the funk of Nile Rodgers collaborating with Daft Punk. And it is that La Plazuela come to fill a space that now more than one will wonder why it had not been occupied before and more so seeing the power they exercise, not only over the public, but also over the organization. Not surprisingly, they were the only ones who allowed themselves the luxury of breaking the rules and extending their set beyond what was stipulated, breaking the tyranny of the schedule and turning the final stretch of their performance into a rave madness.
Aurora – Photo by Clara Orozco (On loan from the organization)
If we continue in the plane of the most outstanding moments of the festival, we must also put on the table the concert of Aurora during the day on Saturday. The petite Norwegian artist gave a whole lesson in dedication, dynamism and closeness to her in a concert in which she managed to put the whole world in her pocket with her epic pop that handles the crescendo perfectly. You only have to refer to the bombastic finale of the party starring indisputable hits like “Cure For Me” or that “Running With The Wolves” that refers us to a much more earthy and accessible Björk.
On the same stage, but the day before, others who had a real mass bath were The blue House from a Guille Milkyway who is very aware of having achieved such an important milestone as starring in a luxury time slot at a festival in the Vida category. Perhaps for this reason, she reminded the public on a couple of occasions that her proposal did not always enjoy the approval of critics, and that prestige is something that she has earned by starring in direct shows as effective and gimmicky as that of the Friday. A day, that of the first day of the festival, which had a bitter closing caused by one of those inclement summer showers that caused the suspension of the concerts, once started, of Talk about me in Present y Lori Meyers. a real intercourse interrupted if we take into account that both formations went out to give everything from the beginning. The Catalans, with their carefree and dramatized techno-rumba; the people of Granada with a desire not to leave a puppet with a head, with a Noni unleashed and in top form who took a literal bath, both in masses and in water, during the interpretation of “Fireflies and Butterflies”. Unfortunately, that was the song that put an end to their concert when they had barely been on the show for fifteen minutes and it became clear that this was going to become impractical and even dangerous.
Lori Meyers – Photo by Ray Molinari (On loan from the organization)
more luck they had Suede the next day when he was able to develop his show without any mishap. A performance in which a very willful and dedicated Brett Anderson was seen, who did not hesitate to go down to the arena to mix with the public to fight tooth and nail for wanting to vindicate both his past and that present materialized in his fantastic last disk “Autofiction” (22) of which, if the accounts do not fail me, a total of three songs played. The only drawback is that there were times when the band didn’t sound as packed and solid as veterans of their category are supposed to. quite the opposite of Spiritualized on Sunday on the same stage. Jason Pierce and his crew gave a whole sonic lesson with their spatial and enveloping rock with structures that can drink from blues or gospel, but taken to a sixth dimension and in which there was no lack of a classic from their repertoire such as “Come Together”, but which was based above all on their last two excellent albums, implying that they are not a band that intends to live off nostalgia.
As for the rest of the concerts, and as I have written before, there was everything like in an apothecary. From a Niño de Elche who, of all his stage proposals, chose one of the most demanding and which required a respectful silence –which faded as the onlookers who did not know the artist approached with their impolite chatter– to a Queralt Lahoz which, once again, proved its worth, and to which we hope that in future editions it will climb in the time slot because its proposal will win integers with the night and will cause greater excitement than what, for example, they achieved that same day but five hours later, since past midnight, some willful Ten that would have turned out better at the time of the Catalan and vice versa.
Just as correct we can cross out the concerts of a Julieta Venegas that worked when I shot classics from “Yeah” (03) y “Salt and lemon” (06); of one Jorge Drexler which we have not just located in festival spaces; of one Nuria Graham that started somewhat uncomfortable due to problems, I think, with their monitors and that live gives a much more jazzy dimension to their recent “Cyclamen” (23), or some French The Empress very solvent, but who left us with the sensation of sticking too closely to the unwritten manual of disco-funk with pop overtones and sophisticated airs.
Lastly, we cannot fail to mention the small boat concerts, but great jams such as those starring some chewy The Gulps, who had to dance with the same time slot as Suede; nails Extra season something lacking in songs although not in attitude when facing their garage power-pop; a Juliet that blew up the small stage of La Cova, demonstrating for what reasons it is, at least in Catalonia, on the lips of half the world, although my server does not quite fit in with its proposal between innocent and mischievous; a Irenegarry who performed in duo format, accompanied only by his usual drummer, and who lacked poise and conviction that we have seen him live on previous occasions. Costa brava, For their part, they came out wanting to vindicate their canonical indie, but their performance ended up reminding us that any time in the past was better. the brazilian Tim Bernardes provoked the more than justified praise of his unconditional supporters, including that of Jorge Drexler himself, who only minutes later asked us if we had been amazed by his performance on the festival’s boat-shaped stage, while BEHIND! & ll Transmegacobla They convinced us with their experimental noise proposal that leaves no one indifferent and that led them to finish their concert in the audience.
And so with the hope of next year, a Vida Festival said goodbye that has achieved a prestige that allows it to play with its line-up without depending on big claims and in store for us with pleasant surprises. And that is something that should continue to differentiate it in the future even more from other competitors.