On the last weekend in June 2012, it turned out that Paco de Lucia was playing at the Rheingau Festival and Vicente on the next day in Cologne Philharmonic Hall. Of course, I did not want to miss the chance to see these two geniuses one after another and left for Johannisberg Castle early Friday to arrive on time for Paco's sound check. I still have very good contacts to his manager and other artists, because I was responsible for merchandising on Paco's European tours a few times at the end of the 90s. I had a reason to see Paco anyway, since he asked me at our last meeting in Mallorca a few months ago to bring him a carbon case. Paco just arrived at the sound check when I got there. He is a really relaxed guy, who puts no value at on superficialities. He then immediately selected a case too, and I took his old BAM case, which he didn't want anymore. I of course gave him a couple of capos, because he only uses traditional ones. I spoke a bit with him in the dressing room during catering and took a couple of photos during the sound check. I was then able to enjoy the concert in the evening with a backstage pass. The concert was fantastic! Even if Paco does not play as fast as many years ago, his music is still unique. He is so versatile and emotional, no one comes near to playing like him in that respect. He is and remains the god of flamenco guitar for me.
Vicente gave the most impressive concert in Cologne that I have even seen by him. An audience of approx. people gave him standing ovations after the concert, and he was also willing to autograph CDs after the concert, even though a long line of fans waited for such. His sound was perfect and the hall was great, because you had a good view of the stage from all seats. Vicente was in such a good mood that he even sang a few verses of a bulería. His voice is impressively good for a guitarist.
Because I was staying at the same hotel as Vicente, I had a chance to talk to him the next morning. He also ordered one of my carbon cases, because this lightweight is the ideal companion for those who travel a lot.
I was able to learn by the way that the release of his new CD is planned for October. The members of his band are also very pleasant people. Rafael de Utrera is a great singer, who is going to release his first CD soon. The dancer David Navarro is a real acrobat and dances with unbelievable lightness.
That was an impressive weekend. Because I did not want to bother the privacy of the artists continually, I only took a few pictures.