As part of the festivities for the announcement of the Latin Grammy nominations at the Avalon last Wednesday night, the academy presented the return to the stage of Robi Draco Rosa as part of the Latin Grammy Acoustic Sessions.
Draco Rosa had to take time away from music when he was diagnosed with non-hodgkin lymphoma cancer near his liver in April of 2011. After going through alternative and traditional treatment in cancer centers in Texas and California, Draco was declared cancer free in December 2012, and not long after that he began to work on his new album “Vida”.
“Vida” is an album of collaborations with fellow artists of the caliber of Enrique Bunbury, Juan Luis Guerra, Ruben Blades and others. The album has received three Grammy nominations in the categories for “Best Album”, “Best Vocal Contemporary Pop” and “Best Recording” for his collaboration with Ricky Martin on “Mas y Mas”.
After a short introduction by Latin Grammy President, Gabriel Abaroa, Draco Rosa and his band, La Santa Orquesta Phantom-Vox, took the stage and began the show with “Blanca Mujer” originally from his Vagabundo album and it is also included on his new album “Vida” with the collaboration of Shakira.
Wearing a black hat that at times appeared to cover his eyes, Draco seemed happy to be back on the stage and thanked the audience for coming to the show and for sticking by him while he underwent cancer treatment.
As expected on an acoustic show, the atmosphere on stage seemed quite relaxed with Draco sitting on a stool strumming his guitar while singing, but as he got warmed up, he could no longer just sit there and sing and he began to stand and move along with the rhythms and energy that his talented band was producing around him.
Songs like “Esto Es Vida”, “Mas y Mas”, “Reza Por Mi” were part of the set list, but the highlights of the evening were without a doubt a very passionate and dramatic interpretation of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower” and the closing song, “Aleluya” on which, on a giant screen above the stage, a video showing sequences of Draco’s health issues and recovery and the making of the new album were being displayed.
