![]() On one side of the stage stood two male percussionists - experts in performing palmas, traditional flamenco hand claps. ![]() They finished “Como Ali” - an unreleased tribute to Muhammad Ali - with a series of long, rapid-fire air punches, then held their hands overhead in fists. Counterpointing sexiness with a kind of SoulCycle strength, Rosalía’s troupe of female dancers wore white bike shorts and hoop earrings. Less visible was the garter-belt tattoo peeking out below her tiny, high-waisted shorts: a replica of the one that the Austrian feminist performance artist Valie Export gave herself onstage in 1970. Giant digital screens hung on either side of the stage, projecting her face to the crowd. But as she took the stage in white platform sneakers and an aqua top with an enormous ruffle running over her arms and chest, she gushed in Spanish, “I am so, so, so thrilled to be here!” For her, Mad Cool was a quick stop in the middle of a nine-month tour through Latin America, Europe and North America. Wednesday, however, was for Rosalía, Spain’s greatest pop export since Julio Iglesias. One Wednesday in July, 40,000 people gathered on a synthetic-grass field on the outskirts of Madrid to watch Rosalía headline the Mad Cool festival’s “welcome party.” For the next three days, 103 acts - including Bon Iver, Iggy Pop and Prophets of Rage - would appear at the festival grounds, which were ornamented by a towering white Ferris wheel.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |