The fact that it was not even half a year since his last visit to the Palau Sant Jordi, with all the paper sold and the responsibility that entails, was not an impediment for Alejandro Sanz to hang the sold out sign again this Saturday night in the Barcelona venue. And the occasion was worth it.
After having toured Spain and the Americas on a frenetic yet successful tour, the Madrid native announced by surprise, at the end of September, the last two live shows of his Sanz, in Barcelona and Madrid. Yesterday it was the turn for the first, number 99 of the tour. And although the repertoire did not change, the thousands of people who filled the pavilion once again witnessed a concert that, apart from being powerful, nostalgic and with a better sound than last June, was very special.
With maximum punctuality, at 9:30 p.m. the lights went out to welcome the musicians and choristers accompanying Sanz on this world tour. And after an emotional video starring the Madrid native, the musician and composer came out on stage, wearing a brown jacket and a white t-shirt for the occasion, to sing the first notes of No es lo mismo, a song that is two decades old and that advanced what it was. the night: a look at the past to delight the present.
A past that became even more noticeable with Lo que fue es lo que soy, recovered from Sanz’s second studio album, to give way to Quisiera ser, the first reference of the night to his successful El alma al aire and which marked the first contact between the artist and his beloved guitar. And the public, already going crazy in a collective karaoke.
The first quarter of an hour had passed, with a percussionist, trumpeter and pianist on one side of the stage, when Sanz once again used that formula that helps him not to leave anything out and that was already immortalized in his applauded Es concert from 2017 in the late Calderón: that of the medleys, playing part of a song to then connect it with another. The soul in the air, Give me the chair where I waited for you and Today it rains, today it hurts were the protagonists of this wild card that gives such good results.
Mi Marciana was also not missing, with Sanz among its backup singers while Sant Jordi was already on its feet, as was Deja que te bese, a successful duet with Marc Anthony with very catchy choruses that was the most recent song until then, even though it was from 2017. And between song and song, the artist’s first words to those present after an applauded Bona nit: “I’m about five points above happy, I hope I don’t do anything improper. Enjoy this music that has been brewing for so many years.” .
And then, Alejandro Sanz disappeared from the stage, but not for long. As if it were a second beginning, the man from Madrid reappeared at the top of the steps to perform The Force of the Heart and It’s Always Night and, almost without blinking, Iba and the intimate When Nobody Sees Me. “Let’s fly, Barcelona,” he asked. And with the certainty that if anyone had come to Sant Jordi with the intention of listening to a generous review of the musician’s extensive career, he had been right.
Another emotional moment was Contigo as a tribute to Joaquín Sabina – a song that the Andalusian singer-songwriter himself also performed in his last two concerts at the same Sant Jordi, last September – and with a nod to the Catalan capital, which preceded the lively and always Welcome Looking for Paradise, with showgirl Karina Pasian replacing Alicia Keys. And the Olympic venue, turned into a party.
However, the thousands of people who gathered at Montjuïc were also aware that the concert was coming to an end. However, they quickly forgot it when Sanz continued to deliver hits with Amiga mia, first, and Labana and an improvised Happy Birthday from the public to the Madrid native – he was born on December 18 -, later. It is true that songs like Desde donde or Pisando Strong could have been missed, but it is also true that the selected songs did not disappoint those present.
And then came another memorable moment of the evening. And if there is a song that Alejandro Sanz is identified with, whether at parties, karaoke or even at the recent Latin Grammys in Seville, that is Corazón partío. And as could be expected, there was no shortage of a concert that, then, seemed to have come to an end while Sant Jordi danced to the rhythm of Latin music.
But the Madrid native had another ace up his sleeve. About two hours into the recital, he reappeared on stage to begin the encore turn with an intimate Viviendo deprisa, the title song of what was his second album, and followed by Do you see it?, also by the 90s and with Sanz on the piano. The tone of the concert remained unchanged.
Nor did he do so in the last three songs of the night, also in medley format, which served to say goodbye to two hours of music and many memories. My Solitude and I was highly applauded, as was Y, ¿Si fue ella?, whose piano needs no introduction. And finally, That Last Moment arrived as the final song and as another clear message, which earned Alejandro Sanz a new ovation before leaving the stage, now definitively and with confetti flying. It was applause that conveyed a lot of nostalgia but also gratitude, for so many years of music and for what is to come.
Because the singer-songwriter has already hinted that he will publish new material next year. But until then, it doesn’t seem like a bad option to stay with everything that happened this Saturday night at the Palau Sant Jordi, where Sanz imposed his routine. That of connecting with the public as only he knows how to do with his usual successes. And the fans, satisfied once again.
