“Um pouco de fé!” As Tim’s last note of the day echoed through the hall of the Paredes Conservatory of Music, the audience clapped, cheered, and called, “Encore! Encore!” They raved for more upbeat music from Xutos e Pontapés’ Tim as the night deepened.
Xutos e Pontapés translates to “Kicks and Kicks.” The name comes from an inside joke. When someone didn’t know the band, they would yell, “É Xutos pá!” (Translation: “It’s Xutos man!”)
Tim, Ze Leonel, Kalu, and the late Ze Pedro combined to make Xutos e Pontapés, the Portuguese version of the Irish rock band U2, with Springsteen-like influences and the occasional political messages.
Accompanying Tim that June night were musicians from the Paredes Conservatory of Music for its end-of-year concert. The conservatory started the show by playing an instrumental medley of the band’s best hits, including “Não Sou O Único,” “A Minha Maneira,” and “Voar.”
Many people from Paredes and neighboring towns, such as Penafiel, Gondalães and Beire flocked to Paredes for the concert. The atmosphere was electric. Although the venue was packed and the temperature unbearably hot, that did not keep the concert-goers from enjoying the night.
As people trickled in, the sound and light team set the mood for this unforgettable evening. The audience brimmed with excitement as if the people had won the lottery and proud that their kids made it through another year of music school. Tim also engaged with the audience and made sure that everyone was having fun and enjoying the night.
As the light dimmed and Tim walked on the stage, the conservatory played, “ A Minha Maneira,” then, he brought out the Paredes all-female choir and children’s choir to sing “Voar” and “Postal de Correios.” Then the audience cheered and clapped along to the band’s performance of “A Noite,” a popular upbeat song. The band then seamlessly transitioned into “Não me digas adeus,” a somber storytelling of a breakup with the the guy telling the girl, “I know it’s been leading up to this, but don’t say goodbye.”
“Circo De Feras” is a classic rocker’s declaration of love. While Tim softly sings “While I was waiting for you across the street, I was thinking about how lucky you are because I want you so much,” the audience sang along with “Eu quero te tanto,” which means “I want you so much.”
“Nasce Selvagem” simply put, is a song about Portugal. It is about how Portugal is more than a country and more than its past. It is about how Portugal is wild, that it doesn’t belong to a country, a political party or anyone. Portugal belongs to itself.
“A Minha Casinha” is an ode to immigrants. The song is about how they miss their homes, the sacrifices made while living in Portugal and how they made a new one out of it. “A Minha Casinha” was also sung at the 2016 UEFA European final in Paris by exhilarated Portuguese fans after seeing their country win the tournament for the first time.
“Contentores” in English means “contenders.” “Contentores” is another ode to immigrants and change. The lyrics are as follows: “Adeus aos meus amores que me vou p’ra outro mundo/Mudaram todas as cores, rugem baixinho os motores e numa força invencível, deixo a cidade natal,” which means “Goodbye to all my loves, for I am going to another world. They changed all the colors, the engines roar softly and with an invincible force, I leave my hometown.”
The anthem made me think back to my father who left his home country of Angola and came to Portugal only to leave and go to the United States.
“Homem do leme” and “Nāo sou o único” were the songs played in the encore. “Homem do leme” is a somber song about having a bad life but running after more, wanting more. The chorus of the song is, “Uma vontade de ir/correr o mundo e partir, a vida é sempre perder” which means, “A desire to go, run the world and leave, life is always losing.”
“Nāo sou o único” is a song about the difference between chasing your dreams and wanting something you can’t get. Although the line between those things is barely there, there are some people that don’t let an imaginary line discourage them from doing what they love. “Nāo sou o único, nāo sou o único a olhar pro céu” means, “No, I’m not the only one, I’m not the only one that looks at the sky.”
Overall, the concert was great. The audience was truly engaged and sung along to every song Tim, his band, and the conservatory played. Every song had a certain vibe that the audience truly got along with.
–Aug. 2, 2023–
