Recording: Lido Pimienta

Artist: Lido Pimienta

Song: No Pude

Recorded at The Music Gallery (X AVANT XIV: Forward – Night 2), October 18, 2019.

Lido Pimienta - No Pude

A full-on Big Night at the X Avant Festival saw returning headliner Lido Pimienta (now an international recording star instead of a local phenom) previewing the songs from her forthcoming Miss Colombia album — but with a special twist. With arrangements by longtime collaborator Robert Drisdelle, the songs were reconfigured for an eight-piece wind ensemble, pulling back the electronics and beats to get to the songs' street-party hearts. (You can hear the electricity of the album arrangement in the just-released video for this tune.)

As a show this was full of energy and imbued with Pimienta's boundless confidence. But in a hometown show it also allowed her to express her vulnerability as well, and stretch things out with banter and stories that might get contained in a touring environment. These songs are going to be bangers with whatever production they're released with, but it felt pretty special to hear them this way, especially the set-closing resistance anthem that turned into a full-on marching band tune.