If anyone expected the Obamas to take advantage of the comfort of their hotel atop Tibidabo yesterday, especially after spending Friday's Bruce Springsteen concert dancing (or even singing), they couldn't be more wrong. Early in the morning, the news alarms went off: the former president of the United States and his wife, Michelle Obama (who hours earlier played the tambourine and sang on stage with The Boss), were visiting the abbey of Montserrat . They were accompanied, as always on this Barcelona escape, by the filmmaker Steven Spielberg and his wife, the actress Kate Capshaw.
It was by no means a surprise visit, although it was impromptu. Obama was awaited by the main square of the abbey with the abbot, Manel Gasch, at the head, as can be seen in the photograph of the greeting (on the cover) in which the former leader bows showing respect to the ecclesiastical authority.
It was 12:50 p.m. when the Obama entourage appeared in Santa Maria Square. The prior, Bernat Juliol, also came out to receive an iconic figure that everyone instantly recognized: the monastery esplanade is usually full of people on a sunny Saturday morning, so the security team who has accompanied Springsteen's friends these days to his sight in Barcelona, he was busy. In any case, everything went normally.
The abbot led the four American media inside the temple, where they could meet the iconic Moreneta, the Mother of God of Montserrat, patron saint of Catalans. The Obamas listened to the abbot's explanations about the history of the mountain and the monastery, which in 2025 will celebrate the thousand years of its foundation, and also about the Virgin with the Child Jesus in her lap. A beech and poplar wood carving that, despite being golden, has a brown face, either because of the smoke from the candles that have been placed at its feet for centuries or because of a possible chemical reaction of the varnish that was made used to fix the paint. A mystery that underlines the magic of this mountainous massif in the eyes of those who visit it.
Then, the filmmaker, the actress, the politician and his wife were led to the sacristy, where they signed the abbey's book of honor. "Thank you for this beautiful visit," Obama wrote. Then the Sant Joan funicular took them to a viewpoint to appreciate the views. Like four other hikers, they walked for about ten minutes in the direction of the Tarantulas plan. And, when they were recognized by the walkers, a spontaneous reaction took place and some of them began to sing to Obama el Virolai, the hymn dedicated to La Moreneta, a poetic song that has ended up becoming the spiritual symbol of the inhabitants of Catalonia. Friendly and grateful, the ex-leader could not approach the people - the security team was there - but he showed gratitude nonetheless.
The subsequent lunch took place at the Abat Cisneros hostel, where Springsteen's friends had a tasting menu with local seasonal products that, in all likelihood, ended with a homemade honey and curd.
Shortly before 4 p.m. and after taking the obligatory photo with the hotel staff, Obama headed alone to the airport to attend a series of conferences in Zurich, while his wife boarded another car decided to stay in Barcelona.
The performance of the former first lady of the USA at the first concert of Bruce Springsteen's European tour did not go unnoticed by the international media, which these days are publishing Barcelona snapshots of Obama-Spielberg-Springsteen. Now they also have those of the director of E.T. and Schindler's List capturing the fervent front-row fans during the concert at the Olympic Stadium..., honoring the guy who films everything from his recent autobiographical The Fabelmans.
Yesterday, however, the press attended the extraordinary function of The Boss and the E Street Band: “It was glorious to behold; one of the best shows I've seen", wrote the critic of The Telegraph. "The question is whether we will see something like this again, given the rumors of retirement". But they also captured the naturalness and simplicity with which Michelle had thrown herself into making choruses, dancing and playing the tambourine in Glory day, while Barack watched her from the side of the stage. "Michelle Obama sings with Bruce Springsteen in Barcelona", headlined the German Süddeutschen Zeitung, which collected information from La Vanguardia about the cultural activity of these celebrities in the city, and about the surprise and admiration they aroused in tourists and locals. The news was, in any case, the ease with which a couple of politicians participated in the enviable power of a rock star without stealing his limelight.
Yesterday Saturday, Bruce Springsteen took it more calmly after the display of energy on Friday, when he sang for three hours. His drummer, Max Weinberg, was seen having dinner after the concert at the Botafumeiro. Today they have a new round in front of 60,000 more fans. Same place, same star.
