Gilberto Gil at Meguro Persimmon Hall, September 27th 2024

 

“Majestic” is the word I’d use to describe the moment when, halfway through the show, standing in the middle of the stage just by himself, Gilberto Gil exchanged the acoustic guitar he’d used throughout the bossanova inspired first half of his set for an electric guitar that was handed to him by a stagehand. The impressive lighting design, some of the best I’ve seen for a concert, seemed to attempt to reproduce the dusty atmosphere of the Brazilian Sertao. Gil stood there glowing with that strong backlight behind him. Having been seated up to that point, the moment became even more intense. And then he strummed the opening chords of one of the most recognizable songs in the world which happens to be, arguably the best song ever written about the experience of living in a developing nation. It was No Woman, No Cry.

In spite of the title, there were more than a pair of teary eyes in the audience. It was a magical moment. The kind of moment that highlights what’s special about a live performance, why the live performance can not be recreated outside of its space. This Gilberto Gil performance, which was during his first trip back to Japan in 16 years, had lots of incredible moments.

It opened with Expresso 222 setting up that laid-back and comforting atmosphere that was the tone for that first half of the show. He played tunes from his discography with a backup band comprised by his kids and grand kids. His granddaughter joined him on vocals in a cover of Jobim’s Girl from Ipanema and took over lead duties covering Moon River. Gil introduced the songs in a mix of Portuguese and English talking about the significance they had in his life and his career.

Once he strapped on with an electric guitar the atmosphere switched from laid back to -you guessed it- electric. It was a gradual shift from his reggae inspired tunes like Vamos fugir to the rockabilly sounding Back in Bahia. He then played back to back the classic Andar com fé followed by the funky Palco, those were a couple of tunes that I was really anticipating an they didn’t disappoint at all. The energy for this octogenarian on stage moving from one end of the stage to the other, rocking out along the members of the band, was infectious and unbelievable. The appreciation of the audience at this, somewhat, posh but cozy concert hall, to a master of his craft bidding farewell after six decades performing on stage was genuine and moving.

He returned for an encore and closed the show with one of his best known tunes, Toda menina baiana. It was the icing on the cake. I wish the cake would have included a bit more tropicalia, no songs from my favorite of his albums, the one with him wearing a 19th century military uniform on the cover, were played. But I can’t complain. I think we witnessed that rainy night in Meguro one of the best shows of the year.
 
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