Soda Stereo is an absolutely legendary band! In their early days, Soda Stereo was heavily influenced by the post-punk, reggae-rock sound of The Police, and Gustavo Cerati’s atmospheric, chorus-heavy guitar riffs. I love Summers style!
They didn't replace him with just one person. Zeta Bosio (bass) and Charly Alberti (drums) decided to tour one last time under the banner Gracias Totales (which ran from 2020 to 2022), they knew replacing an iconic frontman like Cerati with a single permanent singer -the way Queen did with Adam Lambert wouldn't feel right to the fans.
Instead, they approached it as a massive, multimedia tribute.
Rather than one singer, they brought in a massive roster of Latin American and international rock royalty to sing different songs.
Some singers performed live on stage with them, while others were pre-recorded and projected onto massive 400-square-meter LED screens behind the band.
Guest singers included Chris Martin of Coldplay (who sang "De Música Ligera"), Juanes, Ruben Albarran(Café Tacvba), Mon Laferte, and one of my favorites Benito Cerati who is Gustavo's son!
For several of the most iconic tracks, the band didn't use a guest vocalist at all. Instead, they isolated Cerati’s original vocal and guitar tracks from past live performances and played along with him live. They projected high-definition footage of Cerati on the screens, creating the illusion that the original trio was playing together on stage one last time. Quite incredible!
Cerati wasn't just the voice; he was a brilliant guitarist. To fill that massive sonic void, Zeta and Charly brought in Richard Coleman. Coleman is a legendary Argentine guitarist in his own right, a contemporary of the band, and someone who collaborated closely with Cerati throughout his solo career. He handled the heavy lifting on the guitar alongside Roly Ureta.
Ultimately, it was less of a "reunion" tour and more of a final, collective goodbye. They were very clear that Soda Stereo as an active, creating entity ended with Gustavo.
If you couldn't tell I'm a huge fan!
@Good Stuff where do your friends watch Andy sing solo?