Tag Archives: music

The Rolling Stones and a Havana moon

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“Rolling! Rolling! Rolling!….” The Cuban crowd chanted, happily and louder as they grew impatient. The tension was building, the anticipation almost unbearable. We had been waiting on the grass for nearly three hours, to be sure of a good position, as the crowd grew around us, and now it was time. Actually ten minutes late, 8.40pm, under a full moon. The lights on the stage and screens, suddenly went out. Half a million people were in a total blackout. The chanting and cheering grew louder, and louder, people squeezing together and moving forward in the darkness…when in a sudden blinding blaze of bright light the Rolling Stones appeared on stage on the giant screens – and without more delay – we were overcome by the adrenalin-charged pounding beat of “I’m Jumping Jack Flash, it´s a gas, gas, gas!”

(view: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVvloJZdNUs)

The build up to this moment began hours before, when good friends Robinson and Juan Carlos and I got ready in Vedado, for the concert of a life-time. We caught a bus and then walked the last kilometre to the Ciudad Deportiva – with hundreds of thousands of Cubans. We converged on the vast, open air space, outside the spaceship-like stadium, where a huge temporary stage had been erected with sound towers and giant screens. This was Good Friday, 25th March, 2016.

The concert was underway, the music was exhilarating and the atmosphere was off the Richter scale. Close-ups of the faces of the four original band members appeared on the huge screens, and they were having a ball…. beaming with pleasure and full of energy… and all in their 70s (except Ronnie Wood who was 69). When there was an opportunity, Mick Jagger welcomed the vast happy Cuban crowd:

“Buenas noches! At last the times are changing and we are so happy to be here. Our music was banned in Cuba for many years, but we are here tonight with our music for you.”

He joked with the audience and his bandmates during the performance, calling the original members

“The Revolutionary Ronnie Wood…Charlie Ché Watts….Compadre Keith Richards”

This wonderful event was the culmination of an historic week in Havana. It began on the Monday, when USA1 landed at José Martí Airport, Havana, bringing the President Barack Obama and his family, including his mother in law, to Cuba for the first time. His arrival was broadcast live on national TV, and each of his meetings and speeches over the next few days were also broadcast live. Most knowledgeable Cubans knew that nothing was going to change in their lives straight away, but most agreed that this was a step in the right direction. The arrival of the black US President with his family was hugely symbolic – showing that he felt safe enough in Cuba to bring his wife and children with him, and showing the world what Cubans are really like – warm, generous, funny, educated people.

Full credit is due to the legendary Rolling Stones and their sexy front man, Mick Jagger. They brought all of their equipment, vast stage and screens, and technical team, with their backing vocalists and musicians to give the Cuban people a free, unforgettable concert that lasted two hours – as if to mark a new beginning. They enjoyed themselves; Mick Jagger enchanted the audience with his colloquial Cuban Spanish, shouting at the fans “Ustedes están en talla!” (you are looking great!); and the screaming, dancing fans had a night none of us will ever forget.

The whole experience was beautiful, but one little scene beside me in the audience, epitomised the night. A mature Cuban lady next to me was waving something in the air, like a cardboard sign, which I could not see well at first. Then, I saw that it was a 1960s Rolling Stones album cover for her much-loved, contraband, vinyl LP record. She had secretly enjoyed their music for fifty years, and here she was, watching them perform live with half a million country folk in Havana. What a moment! (I asked her permission and she was happy for me to take her photo).

After playing for an hour and a half, Jagger finished a song, said “Gracias, buenas noches”… and promptly walked off the stage, accompanied by the whole band, and the lights were dimmed. The audience were left a little stunned… was that it? They applauded, and some began to move towards the exit. I was confident that there would be an encore… but in Cuba, when a show finishes, people generally leave promptly to catch a bus or taxi home….For an uncomfortably long period of time, the audience were confused, but then began to chant again “Rolling, Rolling…” and “Otra, Otra”…and then to my great relief, a Cuban choir paraded onto the stage and sang:

“You can´t always get what you want….but if you try sometimes, well you just might find, you get what you need!”

And then the full band joined them, led by the irrepressible Mick Jagger, strutting the vast stage in his tight trousers and bright red jacket. He could feel the love and returned it in spades. And then the real finale: “Satisfaction”. Wow, what a way to end a concert – the audience was jumping and screaming, and the band was ‘going off’. Finally, after two unforgettable, incomparable hours, the Rolling Stones, nearing exhaustion, waved fondly and left the stage….the lights lit up the vast audience, and the grateful, satisfied, throng turned for the exits.

As half a million people calmly left through the venue, and flowed down the adjacent streets, no motor traffic was possible. From the open grassy sports fields outside the Ciudad Deportiva (Sport City), in the outskirts of Havana, the main road to central Havana passes by a forest… and thousands of men, and probably women too, sprinted into the darkness to urinate, and relieve themselves after showing great restraint for hours. The crowd continued on and occupied the entire main road leading to the Plaza de la Revolucion, and there we passed the illuminated image of Ché Guevara, beaming down like another full moon. With my friends Robinson and Juan Carlos, we happily walked for kilometres, all the way home to Vedado,  arrived back at the apartment at midnight, enjoyed a delicious Cuban coffee and hot milk and then to sleep at 1 am.

Postscript: The DVD and CD of the concert are available, entitled: “The Rolling Stones – Havana Moon”, 25 March 2016, Havana, Cuba

Five great days in Havana

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An Australian friend, travelling with a small group, recently asked me how to spend five great days in Havana! There are infinite posibilities, but I put together the following itinerary and advice.

Firstly, try to ensure that you have a full weekend in Havana, as there are more things happening then. I would always advise staying in private houses (casas particulares) rather than hotels, but for a group of more than 4, a hotel makes sense. While not the best in the world, customer service is looking up, especially in some of the classier hotels, such as the Hotel Nacional in Vedado on avenida 21 and calle O) – a national historic monument; Hotel Presidente, on Avenida Presidentes (also known as Avenida G) which is only a block or so from the Malecon, the waterfront boulevard that connects all Havana; Hotel Habana Libre in the heart of Vedado, on Avenida 23 and calle L; Hotel Mercure Sevilla in Old Havana, on El Paseo de Martí (or Paseo del Prado) and Trocadero; and Iberostar Parque Central in Old Havana on Neptuno and El Paseo de Martí.

The reason for normally recommending casas particulares ahead of hotels is that the families who take you in, have a personal interest is ensuring that you have a great time, are safe and well cared for, so that you will recommend them to others, and maybe come back again… or just because they are Cubans and Cubans are warm, hospitable and want you to enjoy their country.

Day 1

After getting a taxi from the airport to your hotel ($US25), and checking in, you could go for a stroll along the Malecon on your first evening and get your bearings. Whether you are staying in Old Havana, Central Havana or Vedado, nowhere is far from the Malecon. For most of the week, especially the weekends, the Malecon is a lot of fun. If you reach the Hotel Nacional, pop in for a beer, mojito or coffee. It is a peaceful oasis in the frenetic, hot bustle of Havana.

You may be able to book for dinner at Porto Habana, a nice place to eat on the 11th floor of a pre-revolution apartment block, overlooking the city and the sea. (on the corner of calle E and Linea i.e. ‪Calle E No 158B piso 11 entre Calzada y 9, Vedado (phone: 78331425). You may need to book a few days in advance as it has become popular.  An alternative for a good meal, is La Roca, on the corner of 21 and M in Vedado – just about 400 metres from the entrance to the Hotel Nacional.

You might as well start the trip with a bang – get a taxi from your hotel to the FAC (Fabrica del Arte Cubana, calle 26, Vedado, Havana). Entry is $2 after about 8.30 and it stays open till 2, 3 or 4 am. There is a cafe and snack bar, and drinks, and live music – jazz, pop, salsa, reggaeton etc.). It is a great place to see the groovy folk of Havana having a good time.

Day 2

If the weather looks good, you could organise at the Hotel to get a car or cars to take you to the beach – Playas del Este, viz. Playa Santa Maria del Mar near the Hotel Tropicoco. It is always fun, and is where Cubans love to go. You can buy drinks and rum there, and hire beach beds and sun umbrellas. Not expensive (maybe $US3 for the day each). The car/taxi should be about $12-15 each way i.e. $US30 return, but shared between the passengers, normally 5 passengers in an American 1950s Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge or Cadillac!

You could return to Havana in time to walk around the old walled city, Havana Vieja – heaps to see there and at 7.30 pm get a car to take you to the historic Spanish fort, “La Cabaña” which overlooks Havana. You can watch the sunset over the city, and at 9 pm every night is the Cañonazo (firing of a cannon to tell the good citizens to close the gates of the walled city – a tradition dating from the 1700s). The soldiers that enact this ritual every night are dressed in period uniforms… it´s a good show.

From there you could wander the streets of Old Havana again—always lots of bars and live music in Obispo, the pedestrian shopping mall in the heart of the city.

Day 3

Time to really explore Old Havana (Habana Vieja). Get a car from the hotel to take you to Parque Central (Central Park) – the entry point to Old Havana. From there you can head in any direction. Opposite you is the Gran Teatro (Grand Theatre) which may now have re-opened after years of renovations. – a great place to see live music and dance and orchestras etc. Check it out to see if there is a live program on. While it has been closed for renovations, the centre for the arts has been Teatro Nacional  – alongside the Plaza de la Revolucion, near the huge monument for José Martí.

In Old Havana, I recommend having a look at the Museum of the Revolution in the former President´s Palace, and behind that is my favourite attraction, the National Art Museum (for Cuban art – which is spectacular). Not far away is the elegant Hotel Seville and a newly re-opened and renovated bar “Sloppy Joe´s Bar ” (Agramonte, La Habana, Cuba) which was popular with American sailors before 1959.

There are 5 great plazas, squares, in Old Havana – make sure you see them all: Plaza  de la Catedral (and the nearby best restaurant in Havana, Doña Eutimia); Plaza de Armas (book markets and street theatre and the former Spanish Governor´s residence); Plaza San Francisco, near the docks, (often great live music in the adjacent Basilica San Francisco, and nearby the Jardin del Oriente – a good value eatery); Plaza Vieja (the most beautiful, with Café El Escorial on one corner opposite a microbrewery with great beer); and Plaza del Cristo (was being renovated last year… and on one side is a great Uni student hangout, the bohemian El Chanchullero).

Any night, but especially Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, check out the live music scene – at any of the Casas de La Musica (big bands), or Salon Rosado Benny Morey – home of black Cuban music, or many of the bars along Obispo, the pedestrian mall in Old Havana. There are also several excellent jazz venues in Vedado, such as Jazz Café, at the corner of Paseo and Avenida 3, Vedado), and La Zorra y el Cuervo, on La Rampa, Avenida 23, Vedado.

Day 4

It may be time to relax and recuperate, spending the day alongside and in one of the many hotel swimming pools available. For example, you could go to the pools at Hotel Nacional, Hotel Habana Libre or Hotel Sevilla – or go to my favourite, Hotel Riviera, corner of Paseo and Avenida 3. You pay $US10 entry for the day, and that includes $8 credit at the bar-restaurant. So you can consume $8 worth of food and drink, and your day at the art deco 1950s pool costs you just $2.

Alternatively, you may feel like an outing for the day in an air-conditioned bus to Viñales  – about 2 hours to the west of Havana. The karst scenery of the best tobacco growing area of Cuba is spectacular. Another option could see you could go by bus for the day to the most famous Cuban beach resort at Varadero. It is popular with tourists, but you won´t see many Cubans there.

In the evening, check out some more live music – the quality is amazingly good – or go to any dance shows, such as the famous Tropicana Club cabaret show ( 72 A, La Habana, Cuba; phone 7 2671717).

Day 5

Perhaps time for a walking expedition with a sun-hat, drink and cut lunch, leaving early to beat the midday heat. Havana is a great city to walk around, being fairly flat, not very big and very safe. There are heaps to see and do in Old Havana, Central Havana, Vedado and Miramar, not to mention numerous other suburbs. For example, you can get a ferry (la lancha or lancheta) to take you from Old Havana, across the port to Regla, and the beautiful, historic maritime church built as a sanctuary to house the black Virgin of Regla – a Roman Catholic saint who is simultaneously revered as Yemaya, one of the most powerful of the Afro-Cuban orishas (saints or gods). Another outing, perhaps by car, can take you to the old “barrio” of Guanabacoa – a part of Old Havana first settled by freed slaves, and site of an interesting Museum of Slavery and Afro-Cuban Religions.

For those Ernest Hemingway devotees, half of the bars in Havana claim that “Hemingway frequented this establishment”, especially the famous Bodeguito del Medio, at Empedrado and San Ignacio in Old Havana. Well worth the effort is getting a car to take you to Hemingway´s house, Finca Vigia, on the outskirts of southeastern Havana.

I hope that is a start to your great 5 days in Cuba. You will get lots more suggestions from the people you meet along the way. It is worth being open and friendly to Cubans – sure, many are on the make, but not dangerous – and they have little access to money, except from tourists – so a friendly smile, a sense of humour, and “gracias” (which means “NO”) goes a long way.

Remember, an up to date promotion of what´s on when you are there is available at www.cubaabsolutely.com/ and LaHabana.com – Cuba’s digital destination  (What´s on in Havana)