The concert was a rare chance to see Ivete Sangalo in Niterói, and even better that it was in a relatively small venue, the Rio Cricket club (so the space is just a bit larger than a cricket pitch).
The gate opened at 2:00, so naturally we arrived just after 4:30 p.m. Perfect timing. The first of two warm up bands had just begun and the sun was just beginning to slope back down out of the sky.
There was a vibrant street party going on outside the club with police trying to get folks to allow at least one lane of traffic to flow. These scenes are mind blowing to the forever restricted and rules-following Americans. Everyone has a beer or a cocktail in their hand. Young men are holding liters of tequila or scotch overhead and hawking shots. Circles of friends are pouring Red Bull and vodka for themselves, priming the pump before entering the field for the show.
It was blisteringly hot. Once inside everyone was cramped under whatever shade they could find along the perimeter of the field. The bands were terrific.
Occasionally the event organizers would cool the crowd down by shooting a fire hose fountain of water into the air. People would run to stand under the refreshing “rain” to take the heat down a notch. Oh the eye candy.
In true Brazilian style, beers were bought 10 at a time for your group. The vendors filled a heavy plastic bag with 10 cans and a lot of crushed ice. Instant cooler. And you got a volume discount.
So we danced, and chatted, drank beer, met up with more friends and continued to dance waiting for Ivete.
Eventually she made her grand entrance and the place exploded. True to her never-to-disappoint style of live performance, the energy started out at a “10” and never let up. One song ran into the next, her 8 sidekick dancers never stopped, and she held the crowd in the palm of her hand for well over an hour.
It seemed everyone present knew every word to all her songs and sang along. The crowd never stopped jumping up and down.
It was Brazil
There was one reminder of how differently things are done here in terms of garbage. There were no garbage cans, anywhere. Tens of thousands of people were drinking from beer cans and using plastic cups (not to mention water bottles and soda cans) creating a mountain of trash. The solution? There was a small army of men and women in bright yellow shirts with stiff brooms and garbage bags wandering the site sweeping up after everyone. Huh? We were supposed to throw our trash on the ground because people had been hired to then pick it up. Part of Brazil
Side note: Rachel recently did a post about the length of people's names here in Brazil. For the record, Ivete's full name is Ivete Maria Dias de Sangalo Nascimento.
Anyway – it was a blast. Here is a clip of Ivete Sangalo to share the love.
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6 comments:
you are an idealist. no one would throw the trash in the bins in Ipanema there is a trash bin on every - that is EVERU light post. what every 20 feet or so. and the street is littered with bits and pieces of trash...PorQue? and would you deprive those guys sweeping the chance to see a free concert.... what a story they can tell -
I should really read my own comment before I hit post.
Ginger,
I am not too familiar with Ipanema, but I travel to Rio often for work, I stay at the Marriott in Copacabana and I always thought the sidewalks are pretty clean, trash bins always full.
The company I often visit is at Centro, right across the street from the American Consulate and I always found that area to be pretty well kept as well.
Now, I have never been around these areas long enough to know if they clean it often or if people just use the trash bins as they are suppose to do.
The Sao Paulo subway is the cleanest subway I have ever seen anywhere ever, the London subway was a cesspool, smelled like urine, newspaper, soda cans and bottles and litter all over the place...not to mention their filthy London city buses...it felt like nobody ever cleaned anything in that city.
Sao Paulo is surprisingly clean comparing to large cities of similar size.
I truly think New Yorkers litter more than Paulistas...not to mention all the trash pile up on Manhattan side walks and the stench...people from NY know what I am talking about.
I still think they should crack down with some kind of fine or a reprimand for folks littering the sidewalks in Ipanema, they are probably spoiled rich folks who have maids to pick up after their every bad move... :)
Ray - I agree that the subway system is clean -- but it has been my experience that when there is a street event and people see cans and plastic bottles already on the ground - they feel free to toss theirs there as well.
I think it is about beating folks to the punch -- setting a strong example from the outset. Once there are cans all over the street --- all is lost.
Jim,
I hear you, and I agree, I saw a documentary once that when people see clean places, like the Brazilian subways for example they feel intimidated to "start" the degradation process, but as you well said, when they see signs of disregard, everything goes down hill.
It's like the grafiti situation on parts of Rio and Sao Paulo's downtown raise my blood pressure, principally when they ruined beautiful stone or granite walls with stupid gang symbols. I think Brazil is too soft on these kinds of crimes and abuse...
You have to be strict when it comes to these kinds of things or just like you said, it all goes do down hill quickly!
I LOVE Ivete. On that note, I'm sad that each time I left Manaus to return to the U.S. she'd have a concert there. At least my husband got to go (and see up her dress which made him :).
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