Saturday, 15th: Went with my friend Alvaro, from Spain, who I met in Punta Arenas, Chile, and his friend Eugenia, from Bulgaria, to the Bob Dylan concert. At Tellez Stadium, tickets were 80 pesos, about 25 dollars, we stood on the field. The lights went off, and the crowd sounded with a loud roar. Hit the lights on stage and there is the legend himself, decked out in an all black suit, black brimmed hat, and a shining guitar. (All of this of course was seen due to the large screens.) His band was also dressed to the tee in matching suits. Two more guitar players, a bass player, keyboardist, and a drummer sitting behind a sparkling drum set. He opened with the song: "Everybody must get stoned." Of course, the crowd obliged, and the scent of "incense" filled the air. His voice was crackling and hoarse, words barely audible, and maybe a bit off key, but, c´mon, he is legend, and I´m in Buenos Aires, outside, under thousands of stars I have never seen, with a smiling moon!
The crowd at times were a bit lost in his lyrics, most of the songs being inaudible. But, when he went into his well-known songs such as "Lay Lady Lay", "How does it feel", and the closer "All Along the Watchtower", the crowd would roar with approval.
The night was special, as evidenced by my seeing two shooting stars during the performance. A great show! Needless to say, his band absolutely rocked! Blues, Rock and Roll, Jazz, and some type of music that cannot be labeled.
Sunday 16th: Once again, Alvaro and I set out for a futbol stadium, this time to see a match. The home team River Plate vs. Racing. The game was sold out, so we bought tickets on the street for 60 pesos, 20 bucks, GREAT!...where are our seats? With the Die-Hards!! Of course, "seats" is a rather loose term, concerning we don´t sit the entire time. The energy here was unmatched by any sporting event I have ever been to, or been involved in...this includes baseball and basketball playoff games, CIF championship games, NCAA bowl games, and yes, even the Fountain Valley-Edison Bell Game.
The most intriguing part was the countless songs that the fans would sing. Many involved the other team´s mother´s and sister´s. It was very amusing..."Vamos!Vamos Millionarios!!"...their nickname due to the club belonging to the rather high-up section of Buenos Aires. Their mortal rivals of course being La Boca, who are in the working-class barrio of BA. When these two teams face off the city is on constant edge, and these seats are extremely difficult to get.
The game ended in a 0-0 tie...boring match. GREAT experience!!
Monday 17th: A friend recommends we go to see "La Bomba Tiempo". The time bomb...tickets 10 pesos. Nada. We arrive to a long line, luckily we already have purchased the tickets. Tonite also happens to be St. Patrick´s Day...La fiesa verde.
The show consists of an elevated stage, with a rising stair case which ascends to a scaffold. The band emerges from this scaffold, 13 members and one conductor. They stand in a circle behind congo drum, bongo drums, maracas, shakers, and other various types of noise makers. The conductor stands in front and directs the tempo in typical conductor fashion. The band is dressed in street clothes, tee-shirts, raggedy jeans, and tank tops. The crowd consists of a variety of youths, adults, and even small children, all dancing to the rhythms and loud melodies of these street artists. The venue was outside, decorated as if we were in some back alley somewhere, when, come to find out, we were in a back alley, in Buenos Aires!...
A very special end to three special consecutive days of diverse entertainment, energy, and magic...
