Critic's evaluation
The night was cold and humid with its 16°C marked in Taubaté (SP). Even with this uninviting weather, at 21h the front of the Tangaroa Hall was already filled by a small group of people who were divided between food trucks and the assembly of the queues at the entrance of the establishment.
Even though the entry of paying customers had not yet been released, the volume of people in the lines increased, but timidly. At 9:15 pm, 15 minutes earlier than expected by the organizers, the entrance was cleared and the interior of the Tangaroa Hall began to gain different sounds and colors throughout its space.
Empty, the house educated the ear and created anticipation to the few individuals present already euphoric from a selection of songs that, played in playback, transitioned between classic rocks both international and national from the 80s, 90s and 2000s.
At 9:57 pm, the entire grid of the two sectors was already taken by fans of CPM 22, the band that, in a little over 1h30, would take the stage. To pass the time and soften the wait, the playback stopped and the stage was filled by five people who walked around the stage until they positioned themselves in front of the instruments.
Outbox
Dressed in outfits, the individuals, members of the quintet Outbox, started the opening show at 10:10 pm with a cover of Zombie, single by The Cranberries. Even with a lukewarm audience and no interaction, the band was very friendly during the first songs.
With a precise sound, Outbox stood out because of the vocalist's tuning and the drummer's resourcefulness, members who drew attention during their performances. Playing hits from other great names of the brazilian and international rock scene such as Green Day, Alanis Morissette, Foo Fighters, The Offspring, Rita Lee and AC/DC, the quintet couldn't motivate the audience even when the volume was higher.
The concert was marked by a mute and inexpressive audience and by a setlist where most of the songs had already been played previously in playback, which may have caused some discouragement in the audience. Even so, with great charisma, Outbox did their job of entertaining the audience for a quick 38 minutes.
The quintet's instruments were quickly removed from the stage and the stage set-up for the main performance took place. With great staff, it didn't take long for the space to be cleaned and the sound technicians to start checking the tuning of the instruments.
At 11:23 pm, the dance floors, even with bottlenecks, were already generously filled by an anxious audience that, without much tuning, intoned short euphoric cries of "uh, CPM, uh, CPM".
CPM 22
Soon after, the audience could already see the movement of the members at the side of the stage. At 11:33 PM on the clock, CPM 22 was on stage, bringing the classic, energetic and nostalgic Regina Let's Go, the first great single from the São Paulo quintet. And so the taubatean presentation of the 1\4 de Século Tour began.
With a powerful and purposely dirty sound, the band's opener was marked by precision and by an excitingly energetic Badauí who, between verses sung in an explosive way, drank and spat water aloud showing a visible animation, something that was bought by the public.
Showing his typical performance pose, leaning to the right with the microphone stand and leaving his left foot stretched out, Badauí sang, walked and shook the mic stand vehemently while the musicians kept the sound of the songs sharp.
With Tarde De Outubro next, the quintet kept the energy up. However, the frenzy was witnessed for the first time with the performance of Nossa Música. During the song's execution, the audience was joyful, jumping and singing the verses in unison with Badauí.
Atordoado, even dramatic, managed to reach the audience, but it was with Vida Ou Morte, a track that the singer introduced saying "this song is for potheads", that the audience showed great receptivity. Among scattered and dissynchronous chants, the crowd was in harmony as they shouted in unison and in great frenzy, with even arms raised and stretched in a pose of order, the verse "vamos vencer!".
Nossa Música was another track that dictated the energy of the performance, getting the participation of an audience that sang the chorus in unison with the singer, but it was not responsible for causing a frenzy. That was done by Não Sei Viver Sem Ter Você. During the track, people screamed, jumped and sang at the top of their lungs in such an intense way that Badauí risked letting the chorus be sung a capella only by the audience, an action gladly received.
Three songs later, Dias Atrás recreated the feat of Não Sei Viver Sem Ter Você, with intense participation from the audience, especially in the chorus, making it difficult even to hear Badauí's voice. Other tracks like Irreversível and Ontem were responsible not only for having remarkable interactions, but also for being able to break the eventual doldrums and re-energize an audience whose presence sometimes seemed numb.
Among the curious moments was the one when, during Badauí's absence, the guitarist Luciano Garcia took the microphone to himself and, after a brief interaction with the audience, sang the verse from Epitáfio, a Titãs' single. Or, again, when, for a brief moment, the band only played the instrumental part of We're Not Gonna Take It, a Twisted Sister single.
Aside from the accidents, Desconfio was the song chosen to finish the presentation. With intense audience participation and an energetic performance, delivered and joyful, the track was responsible for leaving the audience with a taste for more and a sense of accomplishment on the part of the band, who left the stage without much fanfare at 00h58.
For a little under two hours, CPM 22 delivered to Taubaté much more than hardcore and speed. The group paraded precision and synchrony and its frontman, Badauí, was a true source of sympathy and charisma, even leaving evident, during his interactions, his shy essence.
With a sharp organization from the opening of the house, through the opening band until the closing of the main attraction, the performance of the hardcore quintet from São Paulo left something to be desired in the quality of the sound, but on the other hand it surprised by mixing classics with songs from their latest work.
The equalization of the instruments was at a higher volume than the microphone, so that in many moments the melodies overdid the vocals. This made it difficult to understand some verses, especially in the dancefloor area, where the sound was loud.
As far as the setlist is concerned, he, in the midst of his 22 tracks interspersed between well known hits such as Atordoado, Regina Let's Go, Um Minuto Para O Fim Do Mundo and Não Sei Viver Sem Ter Você, and new singles, presented important points of emphasis.
Among them are Tudo Vale A Pena, Vida Ou Morte and Combustível. The songs, besides having conquered the attention of an audience that, even muted and partially warm, followed the group with looks of remarkable admiration, show the maturity and melodic versatility of CPM 22.
And when it comes to maturation, two pieces are key in this process. New members Ali Zaher and Daniel Siqueira took over the respective roles of bassist and drummer in August 2020, the month Japinha was disconnected from the group. With the new formation, the lineup quintet completed by Badauí, Garcia and Phil Fargnoli, already shows new sound signatures that parade synchronicities that will certainly be present in a new studio material.
The curious thing was to notice, however, that Siqueira, at various times, showed signs of tiredness and even desperation to keep the rhythmic cadence accelerated and full of pressure that the band's songs demand. And maybe this is why he still comes across as someone trying to make his place among the other members.
Even so, the synergy of the new CPM 22 line-up was clear, a band that proves its ability to, at 28 years of age, still leave the public with a taste for more, bringing high doses of nostalgia, generous injections of adrenaline and lyrics that bring plots that range from casual to socio-behavioral reflections.
