On last Wednesday, those who saw the Simone Mendes show in San João de Irecê saw more than a musical performance: they witnessed a meeting with the past.
In front of 260,000 people, the singer, now consecrated in the country, returned to the city where once he walked as anonymous, accompanying his grandmother on the streets for simple clothes, in times of combat and scarcity.
Going up on the stage of the June party, one of the greatest popular events in Bahia, Simone was unable to contain the emotion. The tears eyes were not staging: the gratitude of those who met the floor before playing the stars was authentic.
“Hey, iecê! The chubby heart cannot take it. Wow, what emotion it can be here, what a joy to trample this land. How many memories I have!”, He said, with his embargo voice, even before issuing the first note.
Simone made space in the repertoire to be shared with the vivid audience memories of a childhood marked by humility, but also by the affection. The figure of grandmother Ailza appeared as the center of memories.
Together, they faced difficult moments, when it went to Irecê was synonymous with need and not of celebration. Today, with the whole city at his feet, the artist has transformed that stage into a vitória altar.
Simone Mendes: the power to return as the protagonist
He returns as the main star in the city that has witnessed the difficulties of difficulty has a flavor that few results offer. Simone, who built his name in the duo with his sister Simaria and then pursued a solo career with a considerable success, has shown in recent years that his talent goes beyond music.
He also has the rare gift to communicate with the public to the truth and it was this truth that Irecê moved that night.
The crowd not only sang, but vibrated with every word, recognizing a piece of his own story in the trajectory of the singer. Bahia, who so often lends its roots to musical Brazil, was once again the scene of an emotional celebration, in which success does not erase the origins, but enhances them.
In times when narratives are carefully built, Simone has chosen sincerity. He made his starting point and not ashamed. He has shown that it is possible to transport proud scars and that the brightness of an artist on stage can and should be illuminated by real human memories.
At the end of the night, between songs, tears and applause, a certainty echoed among the gifts: Simone did not return to Bahia. Has returned to herself. And he reminded us, with his story, that nobody grows without remembering where he came from.
