Been there, saw that: Calle 13 live @ Paradiso, Amsterdam

On the 18th of August Calle 13 performed at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. The main members of the group are René Pérez Joglar aka Residente (lead vocalist), his brother Eduardo Cabra aka Visitante (producer) and their sister Ileana aka PG-13 (background vocals).
The last time when Calle 13 performed in the Netherlands I heard about it exactly a day after the show. So this time I’m glad I was well-informed and able to attend. Even though I have the pictures and videos I still can’t believe I finally got to see them live. I’ve been listening to their music for a while now and I like the message in their lyrics.
As soon as I entered Paradiso last Saturday I was smiling and I couldn’t get the smile off my face during the whole evening and even now while I’m writing about it. I wasn’t the only one that felt this way, the audience was great. I was surrounded by positive vibes and good energy.
I’ve seen some footage of Calle 13 performing on the internet but seeing them live and direct is a whole different thing of course.
René Pérez/Residente was on point and very energetic. While speaking to the crowd he also tried to speak some English, specially for me because he knew my Spanish wasn’t that good (okay, I might have bent the truth a bit there…;)). It was wonderful to see him on stage, right in front of me, performing all those songs I’ve listened to over and over again. But…even though I like me some Mr. Réne –I don’t wear a shirt when I perform– Pérez, I was mesmerized by Ileana/PG-13. Describing her task with just “background vocals” isn’t enough and doesn’t show how much she actually does during the performances. I just couldn’t find the right term to use. She was all over the stage dancing and jumping but also singing perfectly. I’m looking forward to her solo stuff.
Now let’s talk about the man who’s responsible for all the beats we were dancing to. The producer Eduardo Cabra/Visitante is really something else. Every time I looked at him, he was playing a different instrument. I truly think that the only thing he lacks is an extra pair of hands. Then he can start his one man band and conquer the world. You can see some of the instruments he played in the pictures when you click on “read the rest of this entry”.
Their band during the live performances also consists of amazing musicians. Unfortunately I didn’t catch all their names, but there’s a wikipedia list of the Calle 13 band. I don’t know how accurate it is, but you can have a look if you’re curious. They were all doing their best and played a big part in their show.
It was the right combination of people/musicians for a great performance. As you might have noticed I had a good time, you should definitely go to a Calle 13 concert when they are performing in your town.
Here are some videos:

1. Latinoamérica 

2. La Vuelta al Mundo

3. La Perla

“Read the rest of this entry”for other videos and pictures!

4. Muerte en Hawaii

5. Fiesta de Locos

6. Pa’l Norte

7. Atrévete-te-te 

8. Suave

Pictures: