Bull fight; street band

The bullfight was an amazing experience. The pomp was overwhelming, and it reminded me of Hollywood's depiction of gladiator fights in Rome. There was some important man (mayor of Pamplona someone said) who wore a top hat, and all of the matadors and other participants, bowed to him, and waited for him to doff his hat.

Adrienne said it was like a ballet. It truly was. One matador in particular was really incredible. He was so confident in his abilities that he would often spend time on his knees, with his cape to the side. The other thing he would do--and this might be hard to describe--but after he would make the bull charge him several times, he would do it (the cape teasing) one more time, this time with his back to the bull, sort of walking away. Ho hum. 700 KG of an angry charging bull, and he's so confident of where he's going to "put" the bull with his cape, that he can walk away, then pull the cape over the top of the charging bull. These guys are definitely skilled.

Now, hear me, when I say I love steak. Steaks are awesome. Also, I love fajitas. And hamburgers and briskets and Taco Bell tacos, etc. I understand that cows must die for this to happen, and I'm cool with that.

However, the spectacle was fairly morbid, and it I would say that most of my friends and family would not enjoy the process. It all boils down to men teasing an animal while slowly killing it.

It's sorta like teasing your cat with a string in the living room, with the following exceptions:

1. Every time you successfully get the cat to leap at the string unsuccessfuly, everyone in your living room cheers madly.
2. You are dressed like a gay pride queen of the parade.
3. Every once in awhile, when your cat misses the string, just for fun, you stab it in the back with scissors.
4. When your cat eventually dies, you bring out another cat. Ole!

All that said, I'm very glad I went. This is definitely an appreciated art in this culture.

OH--one other thing: the bulls are fucking ANGRY when they come out. I understand why rodeo bulls buck the riders off (they have a rope tied around their balls), but I couldn't figure out why these bulls were so ANGRY. They tried to gore and stomp any person they saw. (Yes, these are the same bulls that do the running that morning. Scary, actually). Also, what you don't see in the movies is that in the beginning there are actually about 8 matadors messing with the bull. When the bull is tired and wounded, then the main dude comes out for the really poetic teasing and killing.

OK, I pondered whether or not I would blog about this next topic, but I decided that I had to. I almost didn't because I don't think I can articulate well enough what this band was all about. But I'm gonna try.

When I say sidewalk band, I mean it was a bunch of people just playing music in a big walkway (think Central Park or Bourbon Street). I was on my way out of the bullfight, and I had 90 minutes before the soccer match (Spain won by the way, ho hum). I stopped to listen to this band....it was probably the best 45 minutes of my life. I had goose bumps the whole time, and I cried (somehow, this made me think of my Mom and how much she would have liked it, and I just stood there laughing and crying).

So, at first there were like 6 people playing music: a drummer, a sax, a trumpet, 2 singers and a guitarist. But over the next 45 minutes, band members would come and go (I assume it was scripted, but it sure seemed extemporaneous to me). At one point, I estimated 25 band members. You'd be enjoying the music, then all of the sudden 4 other dudes playing trombone would appear out of nowhere. At one point, some guy starting playing some double-reeded instrument that looked like it was from the Star Wars cantina scene. (OH...go to YouTube and look up Richard Cheese Star Wars Cantina. Funny stuff.)

If the term "3-ring circus" is meant to connote lots of different things happening concurrently, then this was a 15-ring circus. There was singing, dancing, crowd games....oh, and there was this big bucket of water, and one of the band guys would find people in the crowd, and dunk their head (willingly) into the bucket. This was beautiful pandemonium.

Then there were 5 or 6 guys dressed in kilts (I don't know why), and they would get girls in the crowd to come dance with them (combination of swing dancing and salsa). Then they found one girl who completely stole the show. She looked like Kristin Chenoweth...short, cute and sassy. It is hard to describe, but she got the 6 guys to be her pawns in this elaborate dance. She was teasing, flirting, and dancing with all 6. They eventually sort of got in a circle to let her do her thing, and her thing, well, was awesome. The pessimist in me wondered if she was a set up and this was planned, but after she danced, I watched her laugh it up with her friends, and then walk off. I'm 99% sure it was just ad hoc.

Thanks for indulging me in this little sidewalk band description. I'm sure words didn't do them justice at all. But there was so much positive energy in the band and in the crowd, that it was a very moving experience for me, and one that I won't soon forget.

Peace out, ya'll.

-S