Critic's evaluation
As soon as I got off the Barra Funda subway, there were indications that it was going to be an atypical Saturday, with suggestions on how to get to the concert that was going to be held at Allianz Parque a few hours later, on that clear and hot December 16th.
At around 12.30pm, the heat was intense and burning, but deceptively persistent. Breaking through the large layers of cloud, showing a blue picture, it caused temperatures to oscillate between 35 and 37ºC, but without ceasing to incite the possibility of rain.
On the streets, everything was business as usual. Some businesses were closed and others were open. Pedestrians, who risked staying out in the early afternoon heat, walked calmly along the sidewalks of Avenida Francisco Matarazzo, without showing any signs of abnormality.
However, in front of the Allianz Parque facade, siding and railings indicated another kind of scene. There, people were entering through two separate gates, but after hours. After all, the official entrance to the event would only begin at 3pm, just over three hours later.
As a refuge for the wait for what would be their last moment, NX Zero's last solo performance before a new hiatus of indefinite duration, and to escape the sweltering heat, Bourbon Mall was the place to go. Curiously or not, among the pedestrians walking around, you could see people wearing t-shirts from both the Cedo Ou Tarde Tour and the owner of the day. And there were plenty of them.
The truth was that, from that moment on, NX Zero fans would still have to wait to see him perform. And the wait would not be short: 8 hours and four performances by bands and names such as Day Limns, Glória, Supercombo and You Me At Six until the long-awaited start of the new and last solo show by one of the groups that marked Brazil's soundtrack in the 2000s.
At 3:20 p.m., still accompanied by the damp, the crowd, as they made their way inside the stadium, was gripped by the fear of torrential rain which, seen on the horizon, was already sounding out the atmosphere with its full-bodied, frightening thunder. Even so, the spaces on the pitch were already beginning to fill up.
Day Limns
At 3:32 p.m., bassist Johnny Bonafe and drummer Adriano Alves de Arruda took their places on stage to great frenzy from the portion of the audience close to the premium floor. As soon as Day Limns positioned himself in the center of the stage, his performance officially began with Vermelho Farol.
After Kálice followed, the Goiás singer introduced Castelo De Areia to the crowd that muggy afternoon. And she made that moment the first highlight of the show. After all, in addition to the presence of guest Artur Mutanen, lead singer of the band Bullet Bane, at the microphone, the audience was more receptive to the song and sang along, albeit timidly, to some of its parts.
From there, Só Por Amar and Más Caras followed until the arrival of Finais. Even though Day Limns instigated interaction, he often received lukewarm responses from the audience. However, during that particular track, there was an organic surrender on the part of the audience who, presented with thick raindrops cooling the intense dampness, waltzed and sang along to the chorus of the song.
Minha Religião, with its firm and precise sound, then delivers softness with hints of melancholy until the arrival of Muito Além. The track, featuring Di Ferrero, whose contribution was broadcast over the loudspeakers, sent the Allianz into chaos due to the intense but punctual frenzy experienced by the audience.
The performance continued with two more songs: Cacos and Cinzeiro, but without any liveliness from the audience. Even so, before leaving the stage for good, Day took the microphone and said her last words: "Just one little thing: God is a woman!" she called out, ending her opening performance of the last day dedicated entirely to NX Zero at 4.08pm.
In general, the audience was not very receptive to the Goiás singer, with only mild interactions caused by raised arms and timid jumps, as well as occasional frenzies. Another point that contributed to the dull atmosphere was the low number of people during the performance, who largely occupied the stands and left the runways practically free.
In terms of sound quality, the performance offered strong and precise melodies, as well as highlighting Day's tuning. This made it a good surprise for those who knew little or nothing about the singer, who were able to indulge in a powerful melodic lyrical set from her.
At 4.27pm, the audience was already showing a greater presence in the stadium than that seen during Day Limns' performance. By now, therefore, both dance floors and the grandstand had been filled to capacity.
Glória
With the hands of the clock ticking 16:31, just as Glória's musicians entered the stage, Allianz Parque was filled with unison, high-pitched screams and the beginnings of hysteria. When vocalist Mi Vieira took over the microphone and introduced Coração Codificado, the group's show officially began.
Offering the stadium's audience drama and excruciating suffering, the group began with Vai Pagar Caro Por Me Conhecer. The crowd on the premium floor was so energetic that they clapped along to the rhythmic beat of this track, which is melodramatic in its corrosive bitterness.
"Vamos dar um grito bem alto! Vamos curtir que hoje vai ser foda!" Vieira urged as he introduced A Arte De Fazer Inimigos. With tracks such as A Cada Dia, the setlist also included Horizonte. Melodramatic, it was received with great approval from the audience, who remained in awe and admiration throughout the performance.
“Mais uma desgraça pra vocês. Essa daqui se chama Bicho Do Mato”, joked the vocalist as he introduced the song. Despite being bloodily melancholic, the track was also well received by the audience who, during the instrumental phrases, raised their arms with clenched fists to the rhythmic beat.
“Quem aqui era da emo em 2009? Essa música girou muito na MTV”, said the singer as he introduced Tudo Outra Vez, a track that had the audience static, but shouting out punctually to the singer's stimuli in what is a song with a melodic and bubbly chorus, as well as a more radio-friendly structure.
Tudo Outra Vez, as well as Horizonte, were responsible for two of the biggest peaks in audience interaction during Glória's performance, which also included Convencer. The song is new to the group's repertoire, having been announced a week ago, and is also part of the groups' next album, which will be released early next year.
With the sky already diminishing in brightness, Minha Paz was introduced and greeted with an uproar, as well as being sung organically in chorus by the audience right from the start. Clapping along to the rhythmic beat of the song, the song was the last on the setlist and the third highlight of the show, which ended at 17:11.
All in all, the audience was still densely packed, but at the same time they were more heated and energetic in relation to the interactions delivered in Day Limns' performance.
With guitarist Vini Rodrigues in the spotlight, who surprised with his high pitch and the range of his falsetto, Glória presented a lancinating and melodramatic compilation of songs that moved through metalcore, emocore, nu metal and death metal with large doses of harshness.
Even without the presence of mosh pits in their set, Glória put on a good and surprising show. Precise, intense, dramatic, stabbing and painful, the performance served as a perfect warm-up for the show that was to begin a few minutes later.
Supercombo
The sky was already bidding farewell to the sun and welcoming the night when, at 5:30 p.m., the big screens were filled with the name 'supercombo', leading the audience to scream. Gradually, the uproar grew in intensity as the members of the group took up their positions.
With Rogério as the opening song, the quartet won over the clapping of the audience, who followed the rhythmic beat during the chorus. Even so, the audience remained in a numbness that continued even during Monstros. Here, however, the difference was that those present went into a mute syncope, but in a state of pure morphing admiration stimulated by the song's haunting melancholy.
With Sol Da Manhã, Supercombo managed to stimulate the audience's energy to the point of making them jump evenly during the chorus, causing the stadium to be filled with a sense of softened suffering. Another highlight of the show came during the performance of Maremotos.
Because of its sound structure, the song instigated sweetly shy chants from the audience, who, under the command of vocalist Leonardo Ramos, were also responsible for building a percussive sonar made up of clapping in tune with the rhythm of the song. Rather than the scene seen during Sol Da Manhã, Maremotos had a more honest participation from the audience.
In terms of the audience's commitment to the band and the music, Supercombo's show also featured three other important moments. In Amianto, the most piercing, painful, visceral, dramatic and dark track of the set, the audience entered a state of collective ecstasy that was numbingly contagious due to the pain of the lyrical character. And so, between screams, unison chants, morbid dances and clapping, the audience gave themselves over to the group.
There was an interesting moment late on when Ramos suddenly asked the audience to stand still, making the stadium look uncomfortable, as if there were several wax statues scattered around. This lasted until the next command, to return to normality, led those present to resume their jumping and began to exude their melancholy mood. Even so, the high point of the show had not yet been reached.
It wasn't until Piloto Automático, the song chosen as the finale, that this moment arrived. With the participation of Lucas Inutilismo, the song was the only one that the audience willingly sang in its entirety. In fact, it was in this song that the audience completely surrendered to the group until 6:11 p.m., when the end of Supercombo's performance was decreed.
With a well-equalized sound, mature and powerful in its acute and burning suffering, the quartet from Espírito Santo was received by an audience that was energetically numb and anesthetized in relation to the delivery given during the other performances of the day. Even so, the audience were also important moments of honest delivery and energetic synchronicity to Supercombo's show.
You Me At Six
At 6:29 p.m., a minute before the scheduled time, bassist Matt Barnes and drummer Dan Flint entered the stage alone, but accompanied by a red light illuminating the stage. Even without the presence of the vocalist, the duo began the explosive and melodic Deep Cuts, which was only received by Josh Franceschi from the first verse onwards.
"São Paulo!!!", Franceschi shouted into the microphone before launching into heartLESS, a song that was greeted by zero participation from the audience, a situation that continued even when attempts were made to cheer up the crowd, such as the moment during the performance of Bite My Tongue.
"Ladies and gentleman, we are called You Me At Six. This is our first time ever in Brazil and I can't think of any other better city to be beside São Paulo", said the lead singer, giving a first introduction to the track. "Do you guys know how to mosh pit?" he finished, in an attempt to stimulate energetic audience participation. What followed was a performance of Bit My Tongue to a disdainful reception from the audience, who remained still and looked rejected.
Fortunately, the truce came on the next track. "Now, I've heard that people in Brazil have the loudest voices", said the singer, who was surprisingly answered by a single, unison cry, containing all the voices present in the Allianz during the onomatopoeic verses. With this happy reception, Lover Boy was presented.
A similar scenario followed during the next track. What's It Like, although intensely dramatic, had claps instigated by the vocalist and then obeyed during the chorus, as well as being cheered when it ended. From then on, the Allianz was once again represented by inexpressiveness.
Even at Take On The World, when the crowd obeyed Franceschi's request to leave the stadium illuminated only by cell phone lights, the faces of the presidents were despondent. However, the saddest moment had not yet arrived, although it was close.
It was during SUCKAPUNCH that disappointment and shame at the rejection were the emotions felt. During the track, the vocalist, with his interaction, almost begged for a participatory audience, provoking them to dance to the melody of the song, which, despite being agreed between shouts, didn't happen. Surprisingly, however, the audience even willingly obeyed Franceschi's request to bend down and then jump up and down energetically. Thanks to this, SUCKAPUNCH was both the high point of audience ignorance and maximum receptivity.
During the lively and infectious Beautiful Way, Franceschi introduced base guitarist Max Heyler, lead guitarist Chris Miller, Barnes and Flint, as well as bringing the group's first performance in a Brazilian stadium, at 7.21pm, officially to a close.
Although surprisingly harmonious, melodic and powerful-sounding, the You Me At Six show had the most introspective audience of the whole of December 16. As much as the lead singer exuded friendliness and joy, his attempts to bring the audience to himself and the band, something that was practiced from the very first second of the group's performance, had no effect.
Even so, that You Me At Six show served to show that the group has potential, as well as strong synchronicity and chemistry between the members. The only painfully unfavorable thing, definitely, was the audience's unfortunate response to all the vocalist's attempts at interaction, leaving the image of an audience that was limited and conservative in its musical appetites. In short: the show was of excellent quality from the group, but was not appreciated by those present.
As expected, by 7:57 p.m. Allianz Parque was completely filled with an audience thirsty for NX Zero. And it was at 8:01 p.m. that the audience began to erupt into hysteria as the scheduled start time for the group's performance arrived.
As you can see, the group were already hinting that they would repeat the previous night's delay. All that remained to be seen was whether it would be the same 30 minutes of delay, less time or a longer delay.
NX Zero
At 8:27 p.m., with the crowd chanting for NX Zero, the stadium went dark and the band's entrance was prepared. Full of suspense and with the right to a man walking across the stage while flying the flag with the band's name on it, the awakening of the show left those present with attentive looks, dilated pupils and cold sweats. Anxiety took over. A performance whose awakening was undoubtedly emblematic.
With Di Ferrero in the corner of the stage, Só Rezo came on as an intense opener. Filled with hysterical screams, strident choruses and people with vibrant, tearful eyes, the song spread a massive sense of nostalgia throughout the room.
Daqui Pra Frente, Bem Ou Mal and Pela Última Vez, the following tracks, were received with the same fervor from an audience that was completely into it and singing every lyrical syllable decorously. Of these, especially in the case of the last song, the vocalist left it up to the audience to sing the chorus, certainly deafening the surroundings of the stadium with the decibel of that chorus.
Apenas Um Olhar followed in a linear fashion the energetic excitement of the previous songs, with the audience jumping as one during the choruses. Despite the visceral surrender of the audience to NX Zero, the first proof of their admiring synchronicity came in Onde Estiver.
Ferrero wanted to let the audience sing it in its entirety, but ended up sharing the vocal parts equally. In this way, even in the band-audience exchange, there was a first great sign of mutual respect and admiration that sent shivers down the spines of those present.
Espero A Minha Vez surprised with its aesthetic rethinking to something more intimate and acoustic in its majority performance, with an active audience singing all its verses and leaving that moment with a contagiously touching atmosphere. It was, however, in Mentiras E Fracassos that the audience, for the first time that day, was happy to respond positively to the stimuli of a frontman. Allianz was transfigured as a single bouncing body, making the floor shake during the final instrumental.
Caught off guard, the audience was then surprised by the reproduction of Chorão's image on all the screens. With this as his guiding light, Ferrero paid tribute to the late Charlie Brown Jr. singer and introduced Cedo Ou Tarde with a stadium lit entirely by cell phone flashlights, creating a deeply touching atmosphere. So affectionate that even Ferrero let out tears of emotion at the audience's loving surrender, taking the opportunity to ask for the same energy to be directed at Alexandre Magno Abrão.
The unreleased Você Vai Lembrar De Mim, as well as Meu Bem and a short bass solo by Caco Grandino were the last to have a visceral and active delivery from the audience, since in Círculos the crowd was already more meek and contemplative. From then on, tranquillity was the motto until another big surprise.
It was still too early for the show to end, even though the night sky was ripe. Even so, after Mais E Mais the band left the stage and it took a few seconds before the image of the band was broadcast on the big screens. And it showed the group making their way through the Allianz parking lot to a new stage. More intimate, the new stage was located in the middle left-hand corner of the field, practically in the middle of the runway section.
In that new setting, NX Zero performed tracks such as Incompleta, Fração De Segundo and Marcas De Expressão, the latter of which was included in the set at the request of the fans. It was on that new stage that an average of 50,000 people also witnessed an unexpected moment. To loud cheers, Ferrero pulled Jéssica and Beatriz onto the stage to propose marriage. With the singer officiating and the audience as witnesses, the answer was an intensely cheered yes.
As the group returned to the main stage, the audience no longer followed them, as what was shown on the big screens were old home videos made by the band members, creating a very nostalgic atmosphere. When they returned to the stage, the quintet played Seguir Em Frente, Amuleto Da Sorte and Ligação until it was the audience's turn to surprise the band.
Breaking protocol, in Ferrero's own words, the people near the railing of the premium track began to open a huge flag in homage to NX Zero which, fully open, tangled with the fences dividing the common track area from the VIP area. At that moment, it wasn't the audience, but the five members of the group who got emotional and, in the center of the stage, hugged each other with intense emotion.
Still embraced by the commotion, the band wanted to get the energy going again by introducing Isso Não É Normal. Fortunately, it was received energetically, with the audience singing along to every verse until it ended and the encore officially arrived, with the group, as usual, leaving the stage under the lights.
Creating an atmosphere of great suspense, NX Zero left the audience in the company of another video being shown on the big screens. This time, the content, still nostalgic, showed scenes from the group's past shows under a dramatic and densely nostalgic soundtrack.
When they returned to the stage, the group first performed A Melhor Parte De Mim. However, it wasn't until the second set that the audience really gave in. Além De Mim brought the audience to one of its last efforts at hysteria. Sung in chorus, with the right to jump, waltz and cell phones desperate to record a moment of the performance, the track represented one of the most eagerly awaited moments of the show.
Razões E Emoções, the finale, followed with the same degree of hysteria and ecstasy, and was undoubtedly the other most eagerly awaited highlight of the evening. With its lazy waltzes, choruses and soft dances, the track made the Allianz, just like Mentiras E Fracassos, a single bouncing body. Using up the last remnants of the audience's energy, the song, at 10:57 p.m., eight hours after the start of the December 16 performances, brought the NX Zero show to a close.
Without a doubt, the day was one of celebration. Since Day Limns, the atmosphere has been nostalgic and nostalgic for two reasons: one for reactivating attention on emocore and, on the other, for bringing NX Zero back into the spotlight in a double bill whose tickets were quickly sold out.
Whether it was under a blazing sun, a torturous sweltering heat or terrified by the threat of torrential rain, the crowd on December 16 stood firm from 3pm, when the gates officially opened. Although physically present in the stadium from the beginning of the celebration, one point needs to be highlighted.
It has to be said that the audience's response to the bands that preceded the headliner was brutally contrasting. With a small crowd, Day Limns had little to complain about. With Glória, on the other hand, the audience was more robust and delivered more viscerally and, therefore, intensely.
Supercombo have already had some mild interactions, even if they have been graced by moments of frisson. The biggest hit was during the performance of You Me At Six, because despite the friendliness of their lead singer, the band failed to capture the audience's attention, even with Josh Franceschi's insistent attempts to get the audience to actively participate in the performance. As a result, the English band received the coldest reception of the day.
As expected, the peak of the audience's energy and dedication came at 8.27pm, when NX Zero took to the stage. Welcomed by an electric and vibrant audience, the band was given maximum participation in the overwhelming part of their set, which had more than 26 songs.
Among the most varied emotions, the day was full of nostalgia and good memories. With punctual organization regarding the start and end of most of the shows, there was only one slip-up on the part of the organizers. And that was precisely with the headliners. Scheduled to take the stage at 8 p.m., the group took their place only 27 minutes later.
Even so, this delay didn't discourage or interfere with the energy of the audience, which remained electric until the last chord of the band's last song. With two sold-out days and bringing an average of 100,000 people to Allianz Parque, NX Zero not only represented the strength of Brazilian rock, but also established themselves as one of the biggest names on the Brazilian rock scene today.
Although they are already scheduled to perform next year as Simple Plan's opening band on the I Wanna Be Tour, the double-header at Allianz Parque marked the group's last solo performances. The question now is how long the new hiatus will last. In the meantime, nostalgia for NX Zero is building again. It is to be hoped, of course, that nostalgia will not be the band's only source of remembrance. At least, not for long.
