By jtmanley
Yesterday, a friend and I attend Festival PUMM! Festival Sustentable para un Mundo Mejor. This free, no ticket required event was sponsored by the Government of the City of Buenos Aires and held in the barrio of Belgrano right next to Aeroparque Jorge Newberry. The festival brought together some very big names in Argentine and Brazilian reggae scene to perform some of their hits. We got there a little after 1.00 p.m. when stage tests were still being done. We left a little after 9.00 p.m. Yes, that's 8 hours of standing! It was worth it though.
There were six musical acts in total (three minor acts and three headliners). Argentine reggae band Lacandona Social Sound was the first to perform. They started things out right with good songs. Things backtracked a little bit when Caña de Azúcar got on stage, as they were unable to maintain the audience's attention. Rondamon picked up the ball and impressed me with their interesting addition of electronic elements to the traditional roots reggae sound. Ending the minor act portion of the show, Rondamon paid homage to Bob Marley with a good interpretation of "Buffalo Soldier." I actually bet my friend at the beginning of the show that if any band played a Marley song it would be that one.
The main acts had three different styles and the audience grew bigger and bigger leading up to the final act. Kara N' Daya provided a very nice selection that was heavy of acoustic guitar and smooth harmonies. They are a group I would play on a beach in Hawaii. If a concert has an official start time and a "real start time" in terms of audience reaction and excitement, then the concert really started when Brazilian reggae star Armandinho performed. The audience hung onto every lyric, a lucky girl got to dance and sing with him, and the singer's feel-good anthems were emotional, festive, and made for good additions to the summer 2013 "beautiful day for a drive" playlist.
Finally, after a good 40 minute wait, legendary Argentine reggae band Los Cafres performed some of their most famous hits. This band has been making hits since the 1990s and put Argentine reggae on the map. Indeed, one does not usually picture Argentina and reggae together. They performed for over an hour and lead singer Guillermo Bonetto did not fail to "come with selection" with his unique vocals that always find a way of enhancing his songs. I was glad that the band played some of my favorite songs. They included "La foto de Zapata, Hace falta, Sacarte de mi mente, Sinsemilla, and Si el amor se cae." I think everybody was impressed by how well the band performed.
For me, it was excellent to see so many positive cultural influences represented in one space at one time. Some Brazilians came to support their local artist. Porteños, residents of a city with such omnipresent European influence, were jamming to a music with origins in the black Caribbean. And no matter what you looked like or how you kept your hair (yeah, the dreadlocks were there), everybody took away the message that to make the world better for future generations, we have to focus on environmental sustainability now. If a little reggae did that, I think that's a good sign!