Buenos Aires, to transform into Pop-Rock capital in coming weeks

Concepción M. Moreno

Buenos Aires, Nov 20 (EFE).- Roger Waters, The Cure, Pet Shop Boys, Blur, Pulp, Beck and Red Hot Chili Peppers, are just some of the names on the list of international pop-rock artists who will pass through Buenos Aires in a single week, transforming the city into the world’s capital for music lovers.

An exceptional cast will be brought together in Buenos Aires within a few days, coinciding with the election of the libertarian Javier Milei.

He entered politics two years ago, resembling a rockstar, he’s a lover of the Rolling Stones, and, in his youth, was a member of the band Everest, which paid tribute to ”Their Satanic Majesties.”

After the “hurricane” Taylor Swift passed through the River Plate stadium, and her most faithful fans, the “Swifties”, who accompany her worldwide (including many from other countries where the American chose not to perform), the Argentine capital regained its image as a stage where musicians from all over the world want to play.

Despite a raging economic crisis, with 142.7% annual inflation, 40.1% poverty, and a 200% exchange rate gap, international artists continue to come to the country. Even a special dollar rate, the so-called “coldplay dollar”, has been created in 2022 to attract people to these shows.

The first international star to illuminate the Buenos Aires skyline will be the British co-founder of Pink Floyd, Roger Waters. He will take the stage on Tuesday 21, and Wednesday 22, despite being labeled as “anti-Semitic” and banned from the hotels he originally booked in the Argentine capital.

The 80-year-old musician, one of the founders of the iconic band that popularized “Another Brick in the Wall”, “Wish You Were Here” and “Money”, is set to perform with his sold-out “This is Not a Drill” farewell tour.

Next in line will be the American Red Hot Chili Peppers, who will perform on November 24 and 26, both shows already sold out.

The return of guitarist John Frusciante to the band following a decade-long absence adds a further touch of intrigue to their return visit to Argentina, having been away for five years.

Also eagerly awaited is the return of Pulp, the band led by Jarvis Cocker, which was one of the defining acts of British music in the 90’s. They have not played in South America since 2012 when they performed at the iconic Luna Park in Buenos Aires.

Their long-awaited reunion (although incomplete, as the guitarist Richard Hawley is only joining some of the dates of their tour) with the Buenos Aires audience will take place at the Movistar Arena, another of the capital’s great venues.

The Primavera Sound Buenos Aires lineup is the “cherry on top” of an exciting event that combines, in a single weekend, British bands The Cure, Pet Shop Boys, Blur, and the American band Beck, along with groups from the national and international indie and contemporary pop scene.

The band led by Robert Smith (with 47 years of life and hits like “Boys don’t cry,” “Lovesong,” and “Lullaby”) and the duo made up of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe (who already have 41 years of experience with hits like “West end girls,” “Love comes quickly,” and “Suburbia”) will showcase their experience in a festival format to a diverse audience.

Joining them, Blur, the original project of the multi-talented Damon Albarn, who are reuniting after eight years, and the Californian Beck, will complete the primary line-up of the festival. EFE

cmm/dgp