Silvio Rodríguez captivated on Friday night the nearly 100,000 people reunited in the Zócalo of Mexico City. The Cuban troubadour sang his hits at the top of his lungs in a free concert of more than two hours and despite the intermittent rain that there was during almost the entire presentation.
Grandparents, mothers, children, children, flags of Brazil, Peru, Cuba, banners with the face of Che Guevaraumbrellas and many raincoats were seen during the evening. A young woman carried a sign that read “My dad listens to you from heaven.” The crowd chanted “Ojalá”, “Escaramujo”, “La maza”, “Unicornio” and “I dream of snakes”, among other hits of the singer-songwriter in his concert.
Rodríguez had already performed in concerts no entrance fee in the main square of Mexico in 2014 and 2007. This occasion was special, because in a ceremony prior to his recital received the keys to the city from the head of government of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum, who declared it “Distinguished Guest” of the capital.
“How beautiful our Zócalo looks with 100,000 people.nas singing Silvio Rodríguez”, tweeted Sheinbaum with a video of the concert from one of the upper floors of the city government buildings.
The musician also met during the week with the President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and had a concert at the National Auditorium in which he dedicated the song “Fool”. said once he also dedicated that song to Fidel Castro. at his concert in the Zócalo he rededicated the song to López Obrador.
The affection between the two is reciprocal. Rodriguez supported Obrador in 2006 when he declared himself “legitimate president” of Mexico, after the presidential elections of that year, in an act carried out in the Zócalo attended by tens of thousands of people. In 2018, Obrador invited him to his official inauguration. Now in 2022it was López Obrador who shared that he had sought out Rodríguez for coffee.
The concert was held in the same date of a repression and massacre of students that manifested in Mexico City on June 10, 1971, known as “El Halconazo”.
“A sensitive and important date for the people of Mexico”, Rodriguez said. “Know that we completely agree, sensitized with these manifestations of the people of Mexico”.
Rodriguez too interpreted “Danzón for the wait” a song he said what he did in the pandemic “to entertain me and entertain me”. Moments later he said he was going to have a “premiere”, but he was wrong in the first chords. “It’s that since it’s a premiere I don’t know it well”, he said humorously before singing his hit “Whoever it was”.
Rodríguez also took time during his concert to pay tribute to his late friend and Cuban singer-songwriter Vicente Feliú Miranda, who died at age 74 in December 2021. Rodríguez invited a niece by Feliú Miranda to perform “Créeme” and “It’s not easy”.
The star also invited the troubadour to the stage Cuban Karel Garcia, who sang a couple of solo songs. Rodriguez had as opener to the Mexican singer-songwriter Vivir Quintana, who included in his presentation his theme against femicides “Song without fear”.
Will there be one more presentation of Rodríguez, 75, in the Zócalo of Mexico City? Judging by the mood of his fans, They are already looking forward to your return.