La Oreja de Van Gogh played the first of two concerts in Valencia on Friday as part of its "Tantas cosas que contar" tour, marking the return to the stage of Amaia Montero, the band's original lead singer. The Spanish news agency EFE reported that around 15,000 people attended the show at the Roig Arena.
The band, formed in San Sebastian, turned the venue into what EFE described as a party, with fans singing along whenever Montero pointed the microphone toward the crowd, effectively turning the arena into a giant karaoke session.
Montero told the audience it was one more night, once again, together with them since 1998, after opening the show with three of the band's best known songs: "20 de Enero," "Deseos de Cosas Imposibles" and "El Ultimo Vals."
A return to Valencia
Montero said Valencia was one of her favorite cities and recalled the band's early days playing at the Sala Arena, a smaller venue in the city. She told the crowd the band knew the Valencia audience well and always came back, joking about the journey from the Sala Arena to the Roig Arena, which she called absolutely spectacular.
The Roig Arena is marking its first anniversary this weekend since opening, and has become an important venue on Valencia's live music circuit.
Scrutiny since the tour began
Anticipation over Montero's return to La Oreja de Van Gogh had built alongside controversy in recent months. Since the tour began in May, social media users have scrutinized some of her performances, criticizing her voice and moments where she sang out of tune.
EFE's report noted that Montero's voice does show signs of the passage of time, and that over the nearly two hour concert in Valencia some notes were more difficult for her than others. That did not appear to bother a crowd that was not overly concerned with whether she sounded the same as she does on the band's studio recordings.
Hits from two acclaimed albums
What mattered most to fans was singing along to lyrics they knew by heart and enjoying a lively show. The band drew heavily on two of its most successful albums: "El Viaje de Copperpot," which included performances of "Cuidate," "Paris" and "La Playa," and "Lo Que Te Conte Mientras Te Hacias la Dormida," represented by "Puedes Contar Conmigo," "Vestido Azul" and "Rosas."
During "Mariposa," Montero rose from the floor on an elevated platform to several meters above the stage as the crowd's energy matched her own. The pace then slowed for one of the concert's most intimate moments, with band member Xabi San Martin accompanying her on piano as they shared vocals on "Tan Guapa."
An emotional reunion
Montero showed continued closeness with her bandmates throughout the night, culminating in a final embrace as La Oreja de Van Gogh closed the show with two of its most iconic songs, "Muneca de Trapo" and "Puedes Contar Conmigo." The night lived up to what she had promised at the start, she said: it was not a concert, it was a party.
