Legendary Brazilian singer-songwriter Gilberto Gil presented his “Tempo Rei Tour” show this Wednesday at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires. This tour, which proposes a journey through his artistic legacy, the musician himself conceived as his farewell from major international tours. Produced by Fenix Entertainment and with the support of El Ojo del Arte, the 83-year-old interpreter arrived in Argentina to reunite with his followers with a show designed as a celebration of his work, traversed by more than six decades of music and his deep connection with Brazilian culture. With a great display between smoke explosions and a countdown, the artist greeted: “Good evening Buenos Aires, it's a huge pleasure to be with you, once again in Buenos Aires,” as if it were a scream contained for decades. During the night in which the Argentine News Agency was present, Gil reviewed part of his extensive repertoire, which combined classics from different stages of his career with moments of musical intimacy and arrangements specially prepared for this tour. Meanwhile, Gil made the Argentine spectators vibrate in the arena with hits like “Palco”, “Banda UM” and “Tempo Rei”, which were widely applauded. “Tempo Rei” takes its name from the song that Gil composed in 1984 in response to “Oração ao Tempo”, by the also Bahian musician Caetano Veloso. “I never forgot that moment.” “When I returned to Brazil I made a song called ‘Refavela’ that was about that moment and the places I traveled around the world. The life of a poor black man from Brazil, for voices,” he recounted before singing the aforementioned piece, with images of black people, the word “preto” on the screen and a great ovation. According to the artist himself when presenting the tour, the decision to undertake this final tour came after reflecting on the pace of work that major shows entail and his desire to continue making music from another place, with a less intense schedule. The show continued with “Não chore mais”, “Extra”, “Vamos fugir”, “A novidade”, “Realce”, “Lugar”, “Punk da periferia”, “Rock do segurança”, “Se eu quiser falar com deus”, “Drão”, “Estrela”, “Esotérico”, “Andar com fé”, “Aquele abraço” and a great closing that left more than one breathless. Throughout his career, Gil has consolidated himself as one of the central figures of Brazilian music, a career that includes his participation in the Tropicália movement, his detention during the military dictatorship and his subsequent exile in London, in addition to his tenure in public office as Brazil's Minister of Culture between 2003 and 2008. The show has artistic direction by Rafael Dragaud and musical direction by Bem Gil and José Gil, and brings together a band made up of musicians and family members of the artist, including Bem Gil, José Gil, João Gil, Nara Gil and Mariá Pinkusfeld, as well as an instrumental ensemble that includes winds, percussion, keyboards and a string quartet. Gilberto Gil lends his body to years of history, and despite having surpassed eight decades, he allows himself to dance, explode the guitar and consolidate himself as an artist on stage. His imprint and stage presence make him stand out as a young interpreter, but with the baggage that has approached him over the years. The presentation in Buenos Aires was part of the international leg of the “Tempo Rei” tour, with which the musician seeks to condense on stage the legacy of a work that marked generations and continues to be a fundamental reference within Latin American popular music. While that work reflected on the ephemeral nature of time, Gil's composition proposed a more linked to permanence and transformation. In the middle of the show, Gilberto recounted: “I remember when I was invited to a festival in the Nigerian capital of Lagos, Africa. It was a great festival of black arts with some 50,000 representatives of Africa and the black diaspora. We were musicians, with Caetano Veloso, Stevie Wonder, dancers and actors”. Then, he detailed: “There was an Argentine white lady who said ‘I am here as a soloist, my country did not send a delegation of artists to represent the country at this festival, but I bought my own ticket and I am informally representing Argentina’.”
