KEEP ON ROLLIN' BABY. LMPBZKT

I turned around 360 degrees and realized that out of the 100 people that could have been on that stage, everyone was doing their job, even Limp Bizkit was working, we were the only 5 people who had nothing to do with the show and instead of being down there in that mosh pit, we were behind the band and in front of those X thousand people. Why?

4°39′29″N 74°05′38″O   March 21st. 2024. Parque Simón Bolivar. Bogota. Colombia

I don't know of anyone else who, without being a musician, vibrates, connects as much and doesn't miss a chance for live music as my friend Sebas, with whom I took a flight from Medellín to Bogotá on a Wednesday night without tickets, without certainties, only with the promise of being in the front row to see Limp Bizkit the following night.

On Thursday at noon we invited Caron for lunch, to introduce him to Sebas and as the smallest gesture we could make towards him. Who is Caron?

A broad vision for business and storytelling, passionate about cannabis and its subcultures and committed to the African-American community in Oakland, California. Since his first visit to Medellin shortly after the pandemic, we have found ourselves in a creative synergy that has led us to continuous work these 4 years in Colombia, US, Spain & Morocco.

Caron went to school with Limp Bizkit drummer Otto, witnessed his rise and was behind the scenes many times but never outside the United States. He hadn't been to a music festival in over 10 years indeed.

While we were having lunch, Caron told us that there were two more tickets; I called Dany, my brother, who was still in Medellin, to take the next plane to Bogotá that left at 4 pm. When we got to the courtesies section, they told us that only Caron was on the list. Dany was already on his way. Sebas and I were actually always willing for this to be a trip to the capital to eat Ramen and get back home. Caron had to communicate with Otto, Otto with the person in charge of the artists, she has to talk with the person in charge of courtesies and climb down that hierarchy until she reached the girl in front of us. We waited 20 minutes and to our surprise, they were not VIP bracelets, they were Club Páramo; there were not 4, there were 5 tickets in total.

Leisure was the first show we saw and what an introduction! I had them on my Spotify and listened to them on shuffle occasionally, but I was really blown away by their live sound, their groove, their vibe and the guy with the congas is half the band! I danced until I could ignore the 9° Celsius after the rain.

Before they finished, Otto told Caron that he had stage passes, that we should go get them, and that's where the adventure began. We looked for the backstage of the Adidas stage - filter #1 - but we couldn't get past there. All the FEP staff have a reader for the wristbands that gives you or doesn't give you access to the festival areas. We waited at that door until Otto came out to meet us, we went through that filter and a few others without needing readers or wristbands, behind him. What's the furthest you can go at the Estéreo Picnic? I wondered: To Limp Bizkit's dressing room.

The last filter did require double authorization; crossing that threshold gave us access to a giant area that had an Adidas store, a buffet, a mobile bathroom -which maybe even had SIRI built in- and the dressing rooms with a room for each member of the band.

We went to Fred Durst's, with a black hoodie and a bright orange beanie, we shook his hand and exchanged a few words, we were too nervous to say much or ask for a photo, I think we wanted to be as prudent as possible. Then we sat in the dressing room in front with Otto. Sebas and I were very tense, but Caron and he are friends for years and they had a pleasant conversation. During which Caron mentions his project Black Smoke White Ash: "He's seen some of your stuff" he says to me looking at him and Otto nods his head. It made me think that I have not always put my heart into the work I have done for Caron and that you never know who your work might get to. 'Either there is a chance to pour soul and heart into your art, or there is no deal,' I wrote later as one of the many comprehension that remained with me from that night.

Outside the dressing room, "That's some divine shit" said Otto when we talked about what it's like to continue filling stadiums today after three decades.

Witnessing the B-side of the festival and the incredible maneuver that is that production, it becomes evident how much they have learned in the process and that every year they grow exponentially and that means many more shows = unforgettable experiences for us. I personally believe that the most memorable memories and learnings I have had with live music.

It's time to find the access to the Adidas stage and what an electric moment to be on that stage, with thousands of people in front and a sound ready to make eardrums ring. That synergy before a show that you waited for years, of bands that have shaped your idiosyncrasy and being one among a crowd for whom the same band has influenced the way they see the world as much as it has influenced you, is one of those addictive sensations that one seeks to repeat whenever they have the chance.

"Serenity is my purpose" I wrote standing on that stage with Limp Bizkit loud sound.

I had seen Trainwreck a couple of weeks before receiving that invitation from Caron. An incredible documentary that tells in detail the story of Woodstock '99 and that gives dimension to the success of Limp Bizkit as a band. It was a contrast to hear a speech that, despite having its genesis in the same music that they have continued to play for 30 years, the essence of its message now has more to do with love, passion, and tranquility than with frustration, social nonconformity, anger, pain, and irreverence.

Time shrank. It was perhaps a one-hour show that felt like 20 minutes. We left that stage so excited and stimulated that Kings of Leon and ZHU didn't impress us at all.

We saw the sunrise in the mist and philosophical reflections that were triggered by that sequence of surreal moments. They are all recorded and will be part of the next podcast episode of the Cosmography of the Spirit. Coming soon.