Jarabe de Palo's A piano y voz
With Ulises Hadjis and Mr. Pauer
Grand Central, Miami
Saturday, April 27, 2013
In a very intimate setting at Grand Central in downtown Miami, Spanish rock band Jarabe de Palo kicked off its latest tour around the United States, called A piano y voz.
The idea: Perform classic Jarabe love songs in a pure and simple way. Just as they were created -- with a voice and one instrument.
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The doors opened at 9 p.m. as Mr. Pauer played some of his famous mixes while people grabbed drinks and took their seats. The opening act was Venezuelan singer/songwriter Ulises Hadjis, who performed some of la música that recently earned him a Latin Grammy Award nod.
Founded in 1996, Jarabe de Palo has produced a long list of love songs that are perfect for piano y voz. And Pau Donés, the band's singer and songwriter, performed many of them while Jaime Burgos accompanied him on the piano. In the background, Grand Central's LED screen showed Carlos Tarque of Spanish group M-Clan reciting poems as an introduction to some of the songs.
The scenography was also intimate and simple, with a couch, the piano, a set of bongos, and guitar. The club was full, but this concert still felt like a personal session between the artist and the audience.
There was the song "Realidad o Sueño," followed by "Grita." Everybody in the venue responded with excitement, while Pau smiled, asking the audience to sing along.
The Jarabe singer said the band wasn't sure what to expect from A piano y voz, since it was the first time he and the band had performed live without all their instruments. But songs like "Frío," "Déjame Vivir," and "Te miro y Tiemblo" proved almost tailor-made for this kind of low-key, no-frills treatment.
Of course, the biggest moment of the night was the song "La Flaca," which made Jarabe de Palo famous. The band said goodbye with it, but the audience asked for more.
So both piano y voz came back for another one of their hits, "Agua," before bidding buenas noches for a second and final time, as Pau threw big red roses to Jarabe's adoring fans.
-- Luz Elena Silva
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