This is how the Black Pumas did in their first two performances in Colombia

Since 2020, the North American band was trying to realize its presence in our country. The pandemic prevented them twice and last Friday, finally, they played before the expectant audience that was looking forward to them. And they didn't do it once, but twice. The first was at Thursday's concert, which took place at the Royal Center, in Bogotá, and marked the official start of the 2022 edition of the Estéreo Picnic Festival. The second time was yesterday, at night, on the Adidas stage of the Briceño 18 Golf Course, where the festival is currently taking place, which ends tomorrow, with the presentation of The Strokes.

The first concert left a series of good feelings in the audience. The next day, many people talked about it on their networks and uploaded photos and videos of the event. They said that Eric Burton's energy was overwhelming and his charisma knew no bounds. They reviewed how the artist and the band welcomed them with their music and allowed them to live a moment of magic and joy. The Pumas left everyone amazed and those expectations met by the public quickly reached the ears of those who would see the band in 'A different world'.

That was my case. I had bought individual tickets to see the Strokes at the 2020 edition of the festival, but like everyone else, I couldn't do it and I had to wait. 2021 seemed to be the time, but for the second time it was postponed. Finally, in 2022, the return of the festival was announced and how those of us who already had our tickets could redeem them, either for the same day we had initially purchased, or by someone else that caught our attention more.

My tickets were for Friday, but with the change of the lineup, the schedule for the day changed. The Strokes were passed for Sunday, and on Friday they placed the Foo Fighters as the main band. I didn't mind the change at all. Dave Grohl's band is probably one of many that any rocker would like to see in his life. In addition, that day there were other artists that I had been wanting to see for a long time, and others that caused me a lot of curiosity. That's where the Black Pumas came in. Without much thought, I redeemed the tickets for the same day.

Finally, the time came last night. I left my house at the time I could, after work, and went to the nearest place where the buses left for Briceño. My girlfriend and I ran into a tremendously long line when we arrived. We thought it would take a long time to get on board, but it didn't. The organization was too effective. The delay came later, already inside the bus. About an hour and a half, and maybe a little longer, it took us to get to the event site. The traffic in the city was about to burst. I remember watching the same neighbor bus for about 40 minutes. At 7:40, almost, we arrived at our destination.

Two years waiting for that emotion that you feel in your body when you go to a concert, two years without stepping on that field that, when you see it, seemed like the most impressive thing in the world. I hadn't seen him well at night. The experience is different, no less strong than when you arrive during the day. It was something else. Already on site, after having passed the checkpoints, we ran to get something to eat. The varied gastronomic offer did not allow us to decide quickly. After several minutes, we ended up choosing pizza and sushi. Fast food to make the most of the time. Once we finished, we go to the toilets and look for a place on the respective stage.

IDLES performed before the Pumas. Throughout the festival, their sounds resounded. With 10 minutes left until 9:45, we were already in place, waiting for the Austin band. It is normal for an artist to be delayed five or ten minutes. It was normal to think about it with the Pumas, considering they had a concert the day before. 10 o'clock came and they still didn't show up. People were beginning to wonder what would have happened. Some joked that the band had canceled since Friday and the organizers of the event had not communicated anything with the aim of preventing something similar to the Jamming catastrophe from happening to them.

Given the little signal on the site, it is difficult to connect to the internet to check anything. Many of us began to look at our phones to verify that the time of the band's performance was correct, and to check the stage. It was already 10:10 and nothing. Then, the rumor began to circulate. People were commenting that on the main stage, the Foo Fighters would not show up and that had delayed the day's schedule. They said they'd reschedule them for Sunday. Looks of strangeness and whispers. Then, the rumors changed and they got closer and closer to the truth of why the band hadn't left in time.

“The drummer of the Foo died,” said a boy, close to us. As soon as the commentary began to circulate, tempers began to change. Many commented that it was true, that yes, that a friend had told them, that they had heard from someone. A warning quickly appeared on the screen and it was possible to read “With a broken heart...”, then disappeared. We began to prepare for when it became official, but we kept hoping that it would not be true. Then, around 10:40, with the lights down on stage, the Black Pumas appeared. They didn't come out like a band usually does, with a play of light and background music. That's when we confirmed that the news was true.

Eric Burton told us that the rumor was true. Taylor Hawkins had died and the Foo Fighters would not perform at the festival. We all stood still, shocked by the news. The devastating thing was not that the band didn't play, but that one person had died. Burton addressed the audience and asked for a minute's silence. The same was repeated on the main stage, where several fans were waiting for the Grohl and Hawkins band. Burton and Adrian Quesada, who were in charge of controlling people's spirits, asked the public to make as much noise as possible with the Black Pumas, in honor of the Foo Fighters and Taylor Hawkins, once the minute of silence was done.

What came next was a concert full of emotions. There was a bittersweet taste in the atmosphere. People vibrated with the sounds of the Pumas, but many of us didn't manage to connect 100%. We felt happy, ecstatic, but also grieved, surprised. The truth is that Burton and the band gave it their all. They made a difficult time a pleasant time. In truth, his energy was contagious. The songs were presented one after another and in each one the emotion varied.

The band's choirs surprised on more than one occasion, bass and drums dominated the beats in the hearts of those of us who were among the audience. Burton spoke words in Spanish, danced, jumped, and even dared to get off the stage to walk along the corridor with people. The moment was epic. When they sang OCT 33, personally, I felt a tingling in my chest. That song is too perfect, if I may exaggerate. It's the lyrics, it's the melody, it's the cadence in Burton's voice and the bass sound that gets all the attention. By that time, the excitement of the heavens, had already passed about an hour and ten minutes. After having all of us applauding and singing, the expected song came.

It all blew up with Colors. If the song sounds good on the radio, live it is most formidable. It's too sexy, you can't say it any other way. The song practically closed the presentation and that's how the musicians let us know. They withdrew from the stage, but the lights were still on. Burton came out after a few seconds, picked up his guitar and sang Fast Car. What a sublime moment. The singer alone on stage, a spotlight illuminating him and the night before him. He retired again after finishing and after cooling off, he returned with the full band. Closing song, vibrations for the heights, and final moment.

The band retired amid applause and none of us who were there dared to move. You always expect something else to happen. It was so. Black screen, and Hero of the Foo Fighters in the background. White letters appeared on the screen: “Taylor Hawkins Forever”. White candles lit all over the front of the stage and people singing the Foo theme with all the remaining energy. In the end, the evening was one of jubilation. Mixed emotions, yes, but also the satisfaction of having attended one of what, surely, has been one of the best shows of an American band on Colombian soil.

How great are the Black Pumas, and how great and challenging the moment when they decided to join their voices with ours and break the sky.

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