The farewell of Carlos “Indio” Solari – died, at the age of 77, in the early hours of last Friday – can be understood as an extensive sequence shot that began with the massive self-convocation of fans that took place that same Friday, in Plaza de Mayo, continued with the flag-waving at the Obelisk this Saturday, and will formally culminate in the wake that will be held this Sunday, from 11, at the José María Gatica Municipal Sports Centerin Villa Dominico, in Avellaneda. Although, it is known that each admirer will continue to say goodbye to him and mourn the loss of this central figure of Argentine rock.
In the ways of saying goodbye to him, there were different, very spontaneous reactions. From the first meetings in fundamental points of large cities in the interior of the country to that gesture on the first Saturday afternoon that was to go to the Buenos Aires Obelisk to place the flag on the cobblestone sidewalk and under that leaden sky that has accompanied Buenos Aires for several days. Most were not new (bought the night before or right there). Dirty, torn or mended flags and t-shirts were worn, because behind each one there was a story.
The intersection of Corrientes and 9 de Julio avenues is usually the point in Argentina with the greatest number of people (silence marches, championship celebrations, live shows); a representation of Argentina that focuses on those square meters. It could have been an ordinary Saturday, with mothers walking with their children and tourists in search of the best gastronomic proposals in the area, but this time the Plaza de la República was won by the fans of Indio Solari.
In the first hours there was little beer and a lot of mate. There were also real canvases with history, and some love stories. Lorena and Rodrigo did not want to be left out and as soon as the news of these meetings, which were expected to be massive, became known, they got on the bus in Villa Mercedes heading to Buenos Aires. “This flag was put together by all the friends who traveled with us to the recitals. This is what remains, but it was 25 meters long,” Lorena said. Jesús María, Mendoza, Salta, Tandil, La Plata: the flag traveled everywhere and, with it, love. Lorena and Rodrigo lived five blocks away but only met when they crossed paths at a recital in Tandil, in 2011. From that moment on, they did not separate. Today they have two children and a house full of rich iconography. “Yesterday we cried a lot. The news devastated us and our routine became null and void. The sadness is enormous. The trip here made us remember so many things that the Indian gave us. Think that our entire family is thanks to the Indian. “He saved our lives.”
At just 16 years old, Geraldine and Serena set out to gather people for the flag. “The truth is that we did not expect this. We are proud, we were born under the mantle of the Indian. I was born in a rich cradle and tomorrow I will be saying goodbye to him with my mother. That is why it is a mixture of sadness and joy,” said one of them. It all started in a group of friends. They saw that many could not go to the Plaza de Mayo gathering, due to work or school, and that drove them to the Obelisk movement. “It is very exciting to see so many people gathered for an idol. El Indio is community, love, religion and family. I say it with tears.”
The Plaza de la República became populated. “Flags, flags at 15,000!” shouted a vendor, while holding a cloth with the face of the leader of Patricio Rey and his Redonditos de Ricota. “Something sells. But you have to work,” said someone who had been in Plaza de Mayo the previous afternoon, offering his products, resignedly.
A couple around 30 years old, from Villa Luzuriaga, watched, but from a distance. “We were not particularly fans but we like rock and we understand it as a cultural phenomenon. That’s why we came to accompany it, because of everything it gave and because of our friends who were fans.” The meeting gave rise to getting to know each other and starting to chat. Two women in their fifties, from the city of Buenos Aires, met for the first time: “I have followed him all my life, since I was 15, when I went to school. I went through joys, sadnesses and everything with his music. I couldn’t believe it yesterday,” said one of them. The dialogues were interrupted when someone started applauding and singing, and those who did not have flags opted for candles and messages. “Today and always you will be our hero in this mess”, “Where there is pain there will be songs”, “If there is no love then there is nothing”, “Indio, you are a legend”.
Romina, Ángeles, Pamela and Érica built a joint story. “We were part of the history of the Indian because he summoned us through words,” they said. They are the ones who opted for candles, messages and phrases from songs. “We followed him since we were 11 years old. We went through everything, cassettes, CDs. We went to the last Redondos show in River, where we all had to take care of each other from the mounted police, and we were also at the last Indio show in Olavarría. “It is part of the Argentine DNA, we cannot remove it from our hearts.”.
Preparations for the wake
Surely, these scenes will be repeated throughout Sunday, in the Avellaneda game, when the wake takes place. The place chosen was, finally, the José María Gatica Municipal Sports Centerwhich is located on Bartolomé Miter Avenue at 5000, in the town of Villa Domínico, next to the Workers’ Rights Park and the municipal natatorium.
The place chosen to say goodbye to the Indian is located four blocks from the Villa Domínico Station of the Roca Train, which makes it easier to arrive from different parts of the suburbs. It can also be accessed by bus lines 148, 159, 178, 247, 17, 22, 98 and 197.
Solari’s family gave several recommendations and warnings from the musician’s official Instagram account. The first was about the duration of the wake: “From 11 o’clock until necessary so that no one misses their opportunity to say goodbye.”
The rest of the statement states: “His body will be there. For that reason, they will be days in which respect will prevail; for him, for his affections, and for all of us. It will not be the time to take out the anger, nor to fall into provocations, but to honor him; to strengthen ties between us, round, fundamentalists and marsupials, taking care of each other as he always asked us to. We will walk and be patient, while sharing songs, until we reach him and express what inspired us. As in life, there is good and bad news. El Indio will no longer be around to create new songs, but the beauty that he distilled into our lives will not cease to bring us happiness. “Our responsibility is to continue that work.”
For its part, the Ministry of Security of the province of Buenos Aires reported that the security operation arranged will have the participation of members of the Police of the province of Buenos Aires, personnel from the Corps Superintendency, support from the Motorized Group, traffic agents and health posts on site.
“It is reported that pedestrian entry can be done through the authorized corridor. It can be accessed from Bartolomé Miter Avenue and San Lorenzo Street towards Darwin to enter the Sports Center. For medical assistance there will be health posts at the intersection of Bartolomé Miter and Darwin, Bartolomé Miter and Armenia and Bartolomé Miter and Sadi Carnot. Contestants are recommended to respect the circulation corridors, containment and security fences to avoid crowding at the entrances, attend in time for a fluid income.”
