A few tourists stopped in their tracks when they heard the music of the Red Hot Chili Peppers wafting over the Los Cristianos promenade from the Plaza del Pescadora. They probably wondered who the mix of musicians were on stage but as there were no posters (more great non publicity) they were left in ignorance. The constantly rotating line up on the small stage came from the Candelaria school of modern music and this was their tribute concert to the American band.
As course work goes it can’t get much better than performing live and they certainly made sure that everyone got theirr moment in the spotlight, from young teens to the more mature teachers. Not only did the line up change after each number, several performers worked their way around the stage on vocals, drums, and guitar. But what of the music – it was a bit of an unsure start but once in their stride they relished their challenge. Tracks like Californication, Under The Bridge, and By The Way rubbed shoulders with covers like Stevie Wonders Higher Ground and a REM number thatt I vaguely recognised.
My personal musical ability barely stretches to a few basic tunes on a Rolf Harrris stylophone (ask your grandad) and a very short drum course at school because I had the hots for a young female student teacher with stunning bongos. You know your getting old when the drummers look younger and at this gig each song saw a younger and smaller drummer take up the sticks and peer over the symbols. At the other age of the scale one of the adults arrived to play saxaphone and strode onto the stage – sadly for him he tripped and smacked his knee on the makeshift wooden floor. A collective whince gripped the crowd but trying to look cool he hopped up and played his sax with all the composure he could muster, we noticed afterwards he was sat on a step with an ice pack on his leg – let’s hope none of his students found it amusing.
It was a pleasant evening, the latest of several unheralded performances in the Plaza del Pescadora, maybe they could have a regular slot of maybe every other Friday for a local band or group, then they could have a small information board showing the next event. Is that being too hopeful, well I do still believe in Father Christmas and the Loch Ness Monster.