Text & photos: Rafael Manjavacas
This was a special date, last year was 20 years since he won the «Lámpara Minera» and a case of bronchitis kept him from offering the best of Poveda, but last night at the Catedral of Cante he gave a grand flamenco recital, with no detours.
Special Report 54th Festival Internacional del Cante de las Minas
Within the cultural agenda, writer Arturo Pérez-Reverte received the «Castillete de Oro» in recognition of his career and his unfailing defense of Spanish culture. Juan Ramón Lucas gave a conference titled «Flamenco and Literature».
This Favorite Son of La Union, returned to the festival one year later with 100% of its faculties, eager to offer an exclusively flamenco recital, as is appropriate on the stage of the Cathedral of Cante. This is not the Starlite Festival, this is the Cante de las Minas where the career of one of today's greatest exponents of flamenco was born.
With a full house – tickets were quickly sold out – the audience was one with Miguel, and Miguel gave himself to La Union, which is his second home. With Chicuelo on guitar, Carlos Grilo and Londro on palmas and Paquito González on percussion, the reduced format for this eminently flamenco recital, only one concession was made in the encore, the song he's asked to interpret at every concert, 'Tres Puñales'.
Mineras dedicated to the city of La Union opened the recital, followed by cantiñas, malagueñas and abandolaos, martinete, tientos tangos and soleá acompanied by the guitar of Carlos Grilo: «although I'm a palmero, I really like playing the guitar» and Poveda dedicated the performance to his father, originally from a village near the city of Lorca, recalling how «that August 14, 1993 he couldn't believe it when he saw me pick up four awards».
In bulerías, Miguel recalled Moraíto who accompanied him so many times, and also had words for the great Paco de Lucía in addition to thanking the audience of the Cante de las Minas and the city of La Unión for everything they have given him.
It was amazing to the the entire audience at the Cathedral del Cante standing and applauding Miguel's recital, and the singer mentioned his mother who always accompanies him to La Unión then adding, «You might as well sit down because I'm not finished yet».
Some people say Miguel Poveda's flaw is he's too perfect, but apparently not. You might like him more or like him less, but the people who attend his performances are completely enthralled and he never lets anyone down, whether it's at the Cante de las Minas or the Starlite Festival.
