The Catalanes like their pop

The Susannas Pyromusical at Placa Espanya EL Canto Del Loco

Oh Catalunya, with your stripes so bright, red and gold, and that pop...the endless fireworks every other night. Barca won yet another game, the end of one of the countless festivals, yet another holiday, so and so had, did, created something and the fireworks and firecrackers go off. And then there's the pop pop, the pop rock that is, that plays on every radio station and discotheque, that I have grown to love so much. The same songs over and over that everyone sings along to, from children to grandmothers, men and women. Pop Rock in Spain has no discreptions, no age barriers and no shame. Everyone listens to it and everyone knows every single word. And so, in celebration to that I decided to go to a free concert of Canto del Loco, one of the biggest pop rock bands in Spain. They are on every top 40 radio station and 10 of their songs are the 40. I know just about every song now and have become a follower. We are talking Shakira style folks but better, many of you might be laughing right now, but I have fallen into the pop trap.
The concert was chaotic, more people than I have ever seen in my life, almost all of bcn was there and here I was lost among 15 years olds crying and screaming out, "Dani, Dani, Dani!" My friend Susanna and I could only handle 4 songs and we left, somber to the fact that perhaps we have outgrown this, but I'd like to admit I haven't. I loved being there and feeling my heart race to the songs I bellow out every morning, exhuberating.
After the concert, we went to yet another crowd infested plaza, known as Placa Espanya where a century old building crowns Montjuic and the city celebrated the closing of Festa la Merce, the patron saint of Barcelona. The grand US of A has nothing to compare with the firework displays of Catalunya. The show lasted about 45 minutes coupled with beautiful jazz and big band songs. I was a child, mouth agap and eyes wide open to the spectacle of fire bursting into a million colors. This city is the epitomy of celebration, ladden with every festival you can imagine that includes disorganization and huge risks that endanger human life, but perhaps that's what makes it so enthralling and why everyone actually lives to be so old. They live. Have I found the secret to being forever young? Pop folks, all you need is pop.