Photo courtesy of Soda Stereo
Audio By Carbonatix
Among some of the exponential bands that were part of the Latin alternative movement in the early 1990s – then labeled with the unfortunate moniker rock en español – few had greater success than Soda Stereo, the Argentinean trio formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Gustavo Cerati (who died in 2014 after suffering a massive stroke four years earlier), bassist Zeta Bosio, and drummer Charlie Alberti. The band influenced generations of musicians while routinely selling out venues all the way up to its final tour in 2007.
Following Cirque du Soleil’s 2017 Soda Stereo-inspired Sép7imo Día, a show done in collaboration with the band’s surviving members, longtime fans and new followers began clamoring for the chance to see Soda Stereo perform live again.
“Fans began asking Zeta and I do something together,” drummer Charli Alberti tells New Times over Zoom. “Folks who had never seen us perform on stage, and also people who wanted to relive those moments. When we finished working on Sép7imo Día, I called Zeta to come to my studio, and we decided to do see if we could work something out. Using the multitrack from the songs from our 2007 tour, we isolated the drums, Gustavo’s guitar, and the other instruments, and the result was truthfully very exciting.
“After ten years dealing with all the grief we went through following Gustavo’s passing, we decided to plant the seed of what we were dreaming about, and the work began to create which by far is the most complex show in the history of Soda Stereo.”
To make the Gracias Totales Tour happen, Alberti and Bosio created a multimedia concert in which they play live with prerecorded videos featuring Aterciopelados’ Andrea Echeverri, Juanes, Julieta Venegas, and Coldplay’s Chris Martin. At Sunday’s Miami show, Draco Rosa, Gustavo Santaolalla (Bajofondo), Adrián Dárgelos (Babasónicos), and Richard Coleman will also join the band on stage.
“These days with all the cellphone videos, the surprises at every show are fewer. After the first gig, people know all about the setlist and everything else,” Alberti says. “So we need to have a few surprises on hand.”
Despite the special guests, Alberti and Bosio aren’t looking to replace Serati or have someone step into his shoes.
“No one could replace Gustavo on his or her own, so each tune had to be performed by a different singer,” Alberti explains. “No one got more than one song, which the exception of Gustavo himself, who sings two songs [using archival footage].”
The pair also put in a lot of thought when selecting who’d join them on stage.
“Established was that every participant had to have some kind of previous connection with us,” Alberti says. “We wouldn’t just pick any random singer we happened to like. The connection could be being a fan of Soda, or to have been part of our history, such as sharing the bill with us as Café Tacvba did. All the singers had some connection, including Chris Martin, because he has stated that he loved the music of Soda Stereo and that one of his proudest moments was to have sung ‘De Musica Ligera’ with Coldplay when they toured in Argentina.”
One thing is certain: This will be the last time Alberti and Bosio perform together as Soda Stereo.
“This is a very complex tour, and this will be it,” Alberti says. “We want to give back to our fans. We are not just paying tribute to Gustavo, but we do want to remember him. This is a show not to be missed, because this is the last chance to hear us live, ever. “
Soda Stereo. 8 p.m. Sunday, February 27, at FTX Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 786-777-1000; ftxarena.com. Tickets are $55 to $245 via ticketmaster.com.
