Rock al Parque said goodbye leaving a great trail of risky sounds

Rock al Parque bid farewell to Bogotá with its usual avalanche of guitar riffs, jumps from a crowd that could cause small tremors, and an eclectic and, for some, somewhat risky selection within the musical fabric they created for their twenty-ninth edition.

The risk was noted, specifically in a reduction in attendance on Saturday , a day dedicated to metal in all its forms and which had always been characterized by a huge influx of fans of thrash, death and black metal, considered a loyal fan base that never misses the opportunity to enjoy the most extreme sounds and guitar solos on a night of Rock al Parque.

However, the numbers made this situation clear: on Metal Day, nearly 60,000 people joined the national and international bands who were responsible for igniting the engine of joy, pogos, and choirs at this musical gathering in Simón Bolívar Park. According to Idartes data, more than 120,000 people enjoyed Rock al Parque between Saturday and Sunday. Admittedly, a large crowd, but in the 2024 edition of the Festival, 160,000 souls came to enjoy the concerts over those two days. It's worth considering whether it was a matter of curatorship or the selection of playing times.

On the day of heaviest rock, the experienced Hirax shone with their powerful recipe of uncompromising thrash; the Brazilian band Black Pantera, which incited a sonic revolution with songs from their album Perpetuo; and not to be overlooked was the strong performance of the Medellín band Tenebrarum , with a denser, even gothic feel.

Austrians Belphegor received applause for their rawness and theatricality, as well as the brutal and melodic death metal of Dismember, who closed the day without rain, but with an aura of absence.

On Sunday, the emotional temperature rose, even though rain accompanied some of the performances. The weather seemed to remind us that this festival wouldn't be the same without overcast skies, plastic capes, and moshing in the downpour.

Sunday was an intense day, with 18 local and international performances, amid a diverse atmosphere that brought together everything from Mexican ska to Argentine reggae, introspective indie, psychedelic pop, and performance theater disguised as rock.

There was a retro-futuristic pogo with the Mexican band Descartes a Kant ; wild dancing to the ska, cumbia, salsa, and street energy of Los de Abajo, founded in Mexico City; and the joyful rock of Apolo 7.

Honing their indie rock grooves, the Argentinian band Él Mató a un Policía Motorizado played hits like Sábado (Saturday), from their self-titled album, El tesoro (The Treasure), Medalla de oro (Gold Medal), and Tantas cosas buenas (So Many Good Things), all enthusiastically received by an audience that filled the venue to capacity despite the cold and rain, which didn't let up even with the power and good energy of Los Cafres, who closed the day with La naturaleza (Nature), while the water trickled down the tents where the audience was sheltering. Also included were Viento (Voil), Suena la alarma (Sound the Alarm), Aire (Air), and Tus ojos (Your Eyes), adding a more relaxed touch with reggae sounds native to Argentina.

It must be acknowledged that the show's sound was clearer, the timings were more punctual , and the new screens distributed throughout the park offered a better viewing experience in several areas.

Rock al Parque's farewell yesterday was as eclectic as Bogotá's weather, full of gray tones, flashes of sunshine that quickly faded, and a few drops of rain, which led the audience to put on plastic sheets and stop enjoying the sounds of Hermanos Menores, the instrumental offering of the Chilean band Animales Exóticos Desamparados , and the electronic-based experimentation of the French band Carmen Sea.

Then, the experience was more earthly with El Cuarteto de Nos , which said goodbye to an unforgettable long weekend, with many people and the dream that more than 80,000 people, who were thought since the festival, would accompany the end of this meeting that next year reaches its 30th anniversary.

Angela Paéz R. - EL TIEMPO MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM SCHOOL