Monday, November 26, 2012

Bogotá's Silent Stadium


Party poopers? Residents of the Torres del Parque, behind the Santamaria bullfighting plaza, object to concerts in the plaza. 

Juanes, the Colombian pop singer, was supposed to perform tomorrow in the Plaza de Toros Santamaria.

Perhaps the small, historic bullfighting plaza would have been an appropriate venue for Juanes, who is a popular guy, but no Madonna or Paul McCartney.

But it was not to be. The residents of Las Torres del Parque, which overlook the plaza, complained, and the concert was shifted to the huge Estadio el Campin.

Lots of singers have performed in El Campin. But I suspect that Juanes won't be able to fill it, leaving his concert looking a bit disappointing. The Santamaria would have provided a more intimate setting for Juanes's tender, if sappy, songs.

The bullfighting plaza's neighbor certainly have a right to sleep at night. But I imagine that Juanes, who is no heavy metaler, will stop singing at a reasonable hour. And anybody who moves into an apartment beside a stadium has got to expect to have some noisy activities there.

And particularly now that Bogotá Mayor Petro wants to end bullfighting in the Santamaria, it's important to find other uses for on of Bogotá's architectural landmarks.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

5 comments:

Isaac said...

people who live on torres del parque are mostly the local aristocracy...obviously outraged because finally someone did something human...banning bullfighting. now they're acting just like always.

Miguel said...

Good point. There's a lot of influence in those towers. If poor people lived there, I bet there'd be lots less sensitivy about the noise.

I wonder what the Torres residents' opinion is on bullfighting. But their position on concerts is clear.

Carlito said...

Those buildings are filled with elderly people who despise change, that's my only explanation. Concerts have been banned there well before bullfighting (5 or 6 years now). Even when the law says that the concert must end before midnight.
Another example: the conection between MAMBO and Parque de la Independencia should be ready but is currently stopped because the inhabitants of torres del parque don't want any change within the park... the laws about what is public patrimony get in the way. But if you study the blueprints, that connection is really an extension of the park, over Av ElDorado...
This very same people didn't want the performances of Festival Internacional de Teatro, but that fight was won by Fanny Mikey... so as you can see, there live people who don't even understand that Plaza de Toros and Torres del Parque were designed as a whole... poor Rogelio Salmona.

Miguel said...

I've never really understood the neighbors' opposition to the changes in the Parque de la Independencia. Yes, some trees were cut, but trees can be replanted. And the connection between the park and the museum will be a real addition, and complete Rogelio Salmona's vision. (However, the roof over the highway appears poorly designed, making it more a wall than a bridge.)

Carlito said...

That's because the connection is not designed as a Brigde but more like an open square (even with trees) and must be prepared for the weight of all the people (the idea is to have some events there, so it will be crowded sometimes). What can be seen today is the structure of the square.