It was an ordinary night and it wasn't, this Wednesday in the Plaza Reial. A crowd gathered at the doors of the Sidecar - leather jackets, a lot of gray hair - to attend the umpteenth concert in a hall that has hosted around 6,000 throughout its history, 41 years, 2 months and 20 days, a long period which is coming to an end with the retirement of its current owner, Roberto Tierz, and the uncertainty looming over this place that time has mythologized against its own intention, that of breaking myths to offer music and entertainment to the people of Barcelona and whoever third party without selling to anything or anyone.
Sidecar was once again filled with customers drinking on the terrace, leaning on the bar on the upper floor, among the photographs of Dani Cantó, one more of the exhibitions that have passed through this space, before going down to the vaulted room painted red as so many generations of Barcelonans have done throughout their lives, except that last night the converts were moving between nostalgia. “Bittersweet night,” defined Roberto Tierz, who did not stop greeting the attendees before embarking on his well-deserved “vacation.” There remains hope for the future programming, which announces seven indie, rock and pop concerts for April, the hallmark of the place, to be held after the announced renovation that the new owners want to undertake.
There was applause for the protagonists of these four decades, for Tierz and his three partners at the beginning of the adventure, and also for all those who have participated in this long story. It was before the three emotionally charged names that made up the last concert performed. Josele Santiago, formerly of Los Enemigos, protagonist with his raspy voice of the first concert after the harsh confinement that was on the verge of destroying Barcelona leisure as he did with so many other things. They were followed by the Rebeldes, the original formation of the group in which Roberto Tierz played before marrying the bar of his life. Carlos Segarra, Moisés Sorolla and Aurelio Morata gave a rock recital, including a dedication to the founder of the venue with Route 66, which delighted the large veteran audience of the evening.
And as a culmination Sidonie, the Barcelona trio that in 1998 performed for the first time in “the best room in the world”, as Marc Ros called it last night, in a performance where they were accompanied by Jordi Bastida on guitar. The younger audience, and especially the female one, took over to encourage the people of Barcelona in a generous concert where they did not stop making references to the room while they drank shots and Marc walked around the room while singing 'Shit'. “For us, Sidecar is and will be the room of our lives,” drummer Axel said excitedly at the end of the concert, capturing the feelings of the attendees gathered last night to listen to three bands representing Sidecar's commitment to music and live performances. , officiants of a farewell that, I hope, is not.
