I went and saw Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil last night at the Paramount Theater in Oakland. It was an amazing experience in that it was the first time I have ever been at a concert where the artists were compelled to give two encores. And the fact that this response was for two men in their 70s with nothing but two acoustic guitars who sat in their chairs for most of the concert was simply astounding. You can read about the nature of their performance in this earlier review from the Los Angeles Times:
What I would add to the Los Angeles report is that the concert was sold out at the Paramount Theater in Oakland and that a great many of those in attendance must have been from Brazil. I say this because it seemed that the last quarter of the concert was a group sing along where the loving crowd enthusiastically was singing along with the iconic stars. And yes, the artists made it seem like an ultra casual affair. I often found myself imagining myself sitting on some Brazilian beach with a bottle of wine and a charming companion listening to the soothing voices of these masters of music. Such was the nature of this concert, a truly transcendent experience.
Being there it was difficult to imagine that these two men were once deemed so subversive and dangerous that the Brazilian government imprisoned them and banished them for many years from living in the country. You can read a bit about their stories at
It is the bond that these two men shared with their music, with their imprisonment, with their banishment that was so evident in their on-stage relationship. Before the first of their two encores, the two men embraced and Caetano kissed Gilberto on the forehead in an obvious show of affection. In a very real sense, these two men are brothers and both can be said to be filhos de Gandhi -- sons of Gandhi. As for the persecution that they both endured, in some ways that Brazilian government of the late 1960s, early 1970s may have been right. After all, that government has come and gone, whereas Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil are still here ... and, based on what I saw last night, will be in the hearts of the Brazilian people forevermore.
Peace,
Everett "Skip" Jenkins
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