It was last August when the alarms went off. Raphael, a living legend of Spanish singing, canceled the concerts of his Victoria tour for health reasons. The one from Linares was scheduled to perform at the Cueva de Nerja and Roses festivals, but a medical setback prevented him from doing so, much to his regret. In reality it was not a big deal, apparently a respiratory ailment due to a poorly cured cold that needed some rest, but the artist, who turned 80 last May, was able to see once again the enormous affection - this time received in form of sincere concern – expressed by his many fans.
But fortunately everything ended in a scare, a small mishap that was soon corrected: on the 24th of that same month, Raphael returned to what has been his natural habitat for more than 60 years of artistic career, the stage. And the two adjectives, legendary and incombustible, that are attributed to him, as the song says, are in this case more than precise. Few artists have his numbers – the singer shares with Freddie Mercury or U2, among others, the honor of having a uranium record to his credit, that is, having sold more than 50 million copies, in his case, of the Raphael album. Yesterday, Today and Forever (1982) – can also present such spectacular longevity. In Spain, after the latest high-profile withdrawals, you can count them on the fingers of one hand.
Is the secret your connection with the public? Despite the caricature that he presents as a narcissist, Raphael's responses when asked are quite prosaic. "Don't know. I know how to deal with things because they have turned out well for me and then I have noticed that I have known how to do it," he responded to questions from La Vanguardia last year, in an interview in which he confirmed that he has plenty of energy left for a while: "Someday I will have to retire. But it is not the time. “I can still do important things.”
To demonstrate that, that he is still in top shape, Raphael lands this Saturday at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, to later tour the Iberian geography this December. After the Catalan capital, he will pass through Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Madrid and Zaragoza. And in 2024, it will be Latin America's turn.
There won't be any surprises. Raphael will pull from his repertoire, which is what is asked of him. With his energy intact and accompanied by around twenty musicians, hits that are already classics of the Spanish mass songbook such as Say What They Say, Como yo te amo, Escándalo or Mi gran noche will lift those present from their seats. And those who can't wait should recover the ritual of buying the album, Victoria Tour Edition, which reviews the thirty songs from the tour.
