Pablo Milanés @ Teatro Caser Calderón
15 October 2012

Earlier this year Pablo was forced to cancel a part of his tour of Spain due to a hernia that required surgery. While it was not a serious health problem, it required a few weeks of rest, so the scheduled concert in Madrid at what was then called Häagen-Dazs Calderón (now Caser Calderón although to my joy the Häagen-Dazs is still there) was cancelled. He returned to complete the tour in October, and I was fortunate enough to experience my first Milanés concert in the presence of a passionate audience that had been waiting seven months. The excitment was palpable as people took their seats in this beautiful theater that was inaugrated in 1917 and still maintains the grace of that era. I got a ticket front and center in the first balcony so I would have an unobstructed view of the entire stage.

Opening Act

The evening started with opening act Galician singer/songwriter Andrés Suárez . It must be a daunting task to open for Pablo Milanés, and I met briefly with Andrés before the soundcheck and did a ten-minute interview with him in the Häagen-Dazs.

Interview with Pablo's opening act Andrés Suárez

This was in fact the second time that Andrés opened for Pablo. The two also worked together on Andrés last studio album, "Cuando vuelva la marea" recording the poignant song "Perdón por los bailes" . I highly recommend you check it out at YouTube. Some Cuban music fans may also be aware at the end of May, Buena Fe invited Andrés to do a series of concerts with them in Havana during which time he and Buena Fe  co-wrote the song "Volar sin ti" that will appear on the upcoming Buena Fe CD "Dial" (to be released in 2013). And he reciprocated, inviting them to do concerts with him in Spain in August.

Andrés began with "Canción a mi público" from the project "Canciones que nunca debí componer", which is a collection of 10 beautiful songs only available at Andrés channel on YouTube (highly recommended). The rest of the set was from "Cuando vuelva la marea": "Benijo" based on a personal experience he had with a woman on Benijo beach in Tenerife and "Tengo 26" an autobiographical song which he dedicated to his parents.

Opening act Andrés Suárez sings "Canción a mi público"
My apologies for the focus problem at the beginning

He ended his set with "Perdón por los bailes". I had very cleverly imagined that they might use this song as a bridge between concerts; Pablo would come out and sing it with him and with that Pablo's band would come on stage. But Andrés surprised me by singing it himself, which left me wondering how he would handle the three overlapping choruses at the end of the song with just one voice. He solved that with a loop machine. He recorded himself singing the first chorus, which he played back and then followed by recording himself singing the second chorus. Then he ended the song by stepping away from the microphone, putting down his guitar, turning off all the choruses and singing a capella. As his voice filled the theater it gave me goose bumps and the crowd roared their appreciation calling out "Bravo André" when he finished.

Pablo picked his opening act very well. Andrés lyrics lay bare powerful emotions. He deftly blends poetry and metaphors that lend beauty to even the less flattering aspects of human behaviour. His voice is expressive, making you feel what he is feeling as he sings. Below are the last three minutes of the song, which I think you can still appreciate even if you have never heard the original version.

Andrés singing the last three minutes of "Perdón por los bailes"

An Emotional Reunion

The lights went down and the crowd murmured in expectation as the musicians took their places on stage. When the lights came up the band begin with what first sounded llike a military march and then segued into a jazz intro which lasted three minutes before el Maestro finally took the stage to the sound of a jubilant audience. Pablo began with "Vengo naciendo", the title track from the 1999 album that won him the Latin Grammy. It was thrilling to finally hear Pablo's legendary voice live with his trademark touch of delicate vibrato. He seemed fully recovered from his operation, although I did notice that he didn't play his guitar at all during this concert. Miguel Nuñez, long-time collaborator, covered the guitar parts on his piano.

Pablo Milanés 15 October 2012 at Teatro Caser Calderón Madrid

Despite being among the most important voices of Cuba and Latin America and a founder of Nueva Trova, Pablo is very down to earth and treats his audience with great affection and respect, and the fans respond with the same. On this tour Pablo has taken a folder of 40 songs and each night he chooses from this list, making each concert unique. This night in Madrid he continued the introspective mood by following with "Plegaria" and  "Días de gloria".

Pablo is also rightfully considered to be perhaps the greatest romantic of Nueva Trova. The popularity of songs such as "Yolanda" trancends generations. Pablo's poetic and intimate approch to love and passion has set the standard for the new generation of trovadores and cantautores. "Si ella me faltara alguna vez" from the CD "Plegaría" is a superlative example of his style. When he began the first line, the audience cheered and some people couldn't stop themselves from singing along.

Si ella me faltara alguna vez

The audience was then treated to another song from the album "Días de gloria", this time it was "Nostalgias", which Pablo told us is for him the most representative song of the album. Next came a soncito "En saco roto", a delight for those of us who are also fans of Cuban dance music. The tres part was played by Dagoberto Gonzáles on the synth and Miguel gave us a beautiful little piano solo. The Cuban roots continued with the rumba "El tiempo, el implacable, el que paso". The version I have at home is a 1978 recording, but in it has been updated to be more of a jazz fusion. The violin and flute lend the song a charanga feel. Pablo then moved the focus to Chile with a beautiful song by Eduardo Gatti, "Los momentos". But then it was back to Cuban roots with the son "Éxodo", which he didcated to the Cubans who for one reason or another don't currently live in Cuba. This brought a cheer from the audience. 

As is his habit, Pablo asked the audience if it would be alright for him to put to our consideration some of the songs from his new CD. Of course the audience said Sí and they played "En paz" with lyrics from a poem by Mexican poet Amado Nervo. It was well-recieved by the audience and here is a taste of the final verse: Amé, fui amado, el sol acarició mi faz.  ¡Vida, nada me debes! ¡Vida, estamos en paz!

En paz

Switching to a more political vein Pablo told us about how emotional it was for him to be in Madrid the day that the communist party was legalized. "Dulces recuerdos" reflects these emotions starting out slowly and then breaking into a joyous conga. The he went into "Cual se fuera a morir esta mañana" a romantic song in true Milanésian style with a jazzy arrangement also from his new CD. The song featured piano and saxophone solos.

Cual se fuera a morir esta mañana

As the show was coming to a close Pablo sang "Matinal", "La libertad" and "Años", which elicited another cry of appreciation from the audience. Then he sang what is probably the best-known song of his immense repertoire, "Yolanda". He invited the audience to sing along and they did. It was a beautiful moment. I just love Dagoberto's violion in this number. Sublime!

Yolanda

To close the concert he chose "El breve espacio en que no estás". This is for me possibly the most sensual and passionate love song ever. He invited the audience to sing along again and they happily obliged, cheering. I know it sounds cliché, but honestly, you could feel the love that night. Just check out the video below and the ovation he got from the crowd.

El breve espacio en que no está

After the audience yelled otra for a few minutes, the band came back onstage and they took a bow. What followed was a very special, very unique moment when Pablo decided to sing "Una canción para La Magdalena". He arranged the song for Sabina, and this was only the second time he had ever performed it to date. Check it out below.

Una canción para La Magdalena

Fans close to me kept calling for "Para vivir" but in vain. Instead the final song of the evening was "Yo no te pido" with a very nice bass solo and yet another standing ovation from the audience. Many of the fans made their way backstage after the show, and I think Pablo must have spent at least 30 minutes greeting and taking pictures with fans. I was happy to get a picture of Pablo and Andrés together. 

Pablo Milanés & Andrés Suárez - Madrid 15 October 2012

Song list:
Vengo naciendo
Plegaría
Días de gloria
Si ella me faltara alguna vez
Nostalgias
En saco roto
El tiempo, el implacable, el que paso
Los momentos
Éxodo
En paz
Dulces recuerdos
Cual si fuera a morir esta mañana
Matinal
La libertad
Años
Yolanda
El breve espacio en que no está
Una canción para la Magdalena
Yo no te pido