Guitar, composer and director: Paco de Lucía. Guitar: Niño Josele. Flute: Domingo Patricio. Bajo: Alain Pérez. Cante: Montse Cortés, La Tana, Chonchi Heredia. Percussion: Piraña.

Text: Juan Vergillos
Photos: Málaga en Flamenco (Carlos Díaz Martín)

PACO, I LOVE YOU

A gala night for Málaga en Flamenco, the night of Paco de Lucía. The flamenco artist with the biggest box-office draw, as demonstrated in the Malagueta bullring that received more than five thousand souls. From the outset, expectation was enormous, and it only grew. After all, it was Paco we were going to see. A tribute to Spain’s most international and popular flamenco personality on his approaching 60th birthday. And his is a place won with the cleanest of arms: a guitar, music, rhythm and variations. Even before the man from Algeciras reached the stage, the storm of flashbulbs was as intense as the severe weather of the day before that wounded a hundred or so in Marbella, a few kilometers down the coast. We had come to pay tribute to the guitarist, seeing and hearing him in action.

Paco de Lucía

Paco de Lucía

Rondeña opened the night amidst the barrage of flashes. The excitement was a growing murmur, tension which contrasted sharply with the development of the laidback freeform music. And when the guitarist let the first big strum ring out, the explosion took place. The murmur turned into applause and shouts of “¡Paco, Paco, Paco!”This is a tribute people have been heaping upon the guitarist in each concert since the nineteen-seventies, in every theater, every athletic field. In Madrid, Los Angeles, Tokyo or Málaga. Five thousand of us as a single voice:

“Paco”.
“What?”
“I love you. ”

Paco de Lucía & Salvador Pendón	Paco de Lucía & Salvador Pendón
Panda de Verdiales Paco de Lucía	Panda de Verdiales

Then came the break, followed by the tribute. What someone had shouted out from the second row, was expressed formally, institutionally, on stage. The verdiales group Raíces de Almogía took over the arena. Paco received the tribute head-on. He accompanied on guitar the six musical elements of voice and violin, the verdiales. Suddenly, dancer Rocío Molina appears and emotions run high. She takes the metallic sculpture that symbolizes the affection Málaga en Flamenco feels for the most important guitarist of the twentieth century, and hands it to Salvador Pendón so that the president of the Málaga government may make the presentation. The verdiales group leaves the stage with their festive airs and Paco receives the tribute. He is so overcome with emotion, he needs to hand the prize to someone else. But it is not possible, you can’t close your eyes to the heart that is offered.

The second part of the show is a fiesta. The luxury of three women’s voices full of color. And the creativity of the Domingo Patricio’s flute. Pérez’ powerful bass. And Paco digging in. Showing he is in full form. That he is alive, that he wants to live.

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Special MÁLAGA EN FLAMENCO