Gilberto Gil has always had a soft spot for London. Back in the early 1970s the capital was a refuge for the iconic Brazilian musician, who was exiled here for two years after being arrested by the Brazilian military dictatorship and told to leave the country. He was under house arrest when he wrote the samba Aquele Abraco (That Hug), in which he sings about the people and places he’ll miss when he’s gone; the track was a massive hit in Brazil while Gil and Caetano Veloso, with whom he co-founded the countercultural Tropicalista movement that reshaped Brazilian music, were living in the UK: vibing to the Beatles. Cheering on Chelsea FC. Helping to stage the first ever Glastonbury Festival.
“I learned to love London,” said Gil, who received a standing ovation before he reached his mic. “I even bought an electric guitar.”
After nine Grammys and 60-plus albums spanning everything from rock, reggae and bossa nova to highlife, psychedelia and disco boogie, Aquele Abraco – Gil’s most listened to song on Spotify – took on another hue with this, his farewell tour. At 81-years-old, having showcased the talents of his extended family during 2022’s baton-passing We the People tour, the Bowie of Brazil is bowing out.
A sold-out crowd of Brazilians and ardent fans (including a low-key Janet Jackson) were at the Royal Albert Hall to party like it was 1972 – the same year Gil returned to Brazil and released the evening’s catchy opener Expresso 2222, which sparked a mass singalong.
A backing band comprised of sons Bem and José, guitar-wielding grandson Joåo and granddaughter Flor on keyboards buoyed their silver-goateed paterfamilias through hit after hit. The rhythmic mash-up Chiclete con banana, with its ‘Bebop bebop’ refrain (“Sing it London!” cries Gil, and they duly did). The Afro-tastic samba Upa Neguinho, a hit for beloved Brazilian musician Elis Regina. A samba reggae take on Garota Ipanema, the Joao Gilberto classic, came with the crystalline voice of Flor Gil, whose rendition of Moon River shimmered about the auditorium.
In between, Gil spoke in Portuguese and English of freedom, democracy and again, of the UK. An impassioned version of Bob Marley’s No Woman No Cry piqued memories of eating Jamaican food at the Mangrove in Notting Hill; the rollicking, riff-heavy Back in Bahia, an ode to his birthplace, owed much to Lennon-McCartney. The encore was Aquele Abraco, which had all dancing and hollering while Gil danced across the stage, his arms wide open, as if saying thank you and goodbye - obrigado and adeus - with a mighty embrace.
