“You are a tribute band,” Lukas Matsson tells the Roy brothers in the latest chapter of the television series successionand that is perhaps the best definition of what I saw on the night of Saturday, April 22, while Revisiting Creedence played as one of the main acts in Mexico City’s Parque Bicentenario.
The group bears the brand of Creedence Clearwater Revival to sell us a little bit of that nostalgia for the baby boomers that have imposed so much on us for more than half a century with anecdotes of Woodstock —in which none of the musicians who were on stage lived— and a review of the discography of a classic rock band that released its last studio album in 1972. Revisiting Creedence is the descendant of what was known at the time as Creedence Clearwater Revisited, made up of bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug “Cosmo” Clifford, and who since the 1990s had kept the legacy of the band formed with the Fogerty brothers active. He was a lukewarm review of classic songs like “Down on the Corner”, “Bad Moon Rising”, “Suzie Q” or “Looking out my Back Door” to feel like Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski.
The festival named after a well-known insurance company brought together a curatorship “of chili, mole and pozole” with the legendary Gipsy kings, Kool & The Gangsome “classic” rock en español bands —depending on their age— such as the Teen Tops, The Blind Worm, beto caves (vocalist of The law). There was also room for other proposals focused on blues and R&B such as The Lords Blues Band, Arantza & The Scam Tributethe Mule Brass Band and the West Coasters. There was also a Luis Miguel impersonator who was the perfect excuse to leave the venue before the metro closed.
The legendaries Gipsy kings and Kool & The Gang They offered the two best presentations of the day. The first with a formidable demonstration of gypsy music with touches of flamenco, jazz, Latin music and Europop that included their greatest hits such as “Djobi Djoba” and a great interpretation of “Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare)” by Domenico Modugno. A display of virtuosity on 36 guitar strings that don’t stop and keep the audience dancing non-stop.
Kool & The Gang they filled the stage with a party full of grooves and pure good vibes. The impeccable interpretations of the rhythmic session and an infectious woodwind section, propelled by the imposing bass of one of its founders Robert “Kool” Bell, were the perfect mix to turn the venue into a great dance floor. In a tour of their greatest hits like “Ladies Night”, “Get down on it”, “Jungle Boogie” and “Celebration”, Kool & The Gang demonstrated how you can revisit nostalgia and the past without sounding stuffy and boring.
The Lords Blues Banda band made up of the brothers Leoncio “Bon” Lara and Marcello Lara, known for being members of Bon and the Enemies of Silence and moderatto, respectively, with maestro José Areán on bass and Elohim Corona on drums, they offered a great blues concert that served as the perfect accompaniment to start a day in the park. It doesn’t matter if it’s in a small bar in the south of the city or in such a setting, The Lords Blues Band They know how to give a presentation with lots of character. Beto Cuevas de La Ley offered another of the great surprises of the festival, with a great demonstration by a great vocalist who enjoys offering a good show and inviting us to have a good time.
At the Remind GNP festival, nostalgia dominated for all tastes and ages. It does not seek to be one of the fashion festivals with any musical avant-garde, saturated with activities and activations, nor does it want to be for such a youthful audience. It was an excuse to spend a day in the park to eat, drink and listen to some music.
