Nine-time Grammy-winning Brazilian star Gilberto Gil has announced that he will perform his last ever concert in London at the Royal Albert Hall on October 11th, 2023. The career-spanning set will feature a vast catalog of music from various decades as he celebrates his sixty plus years as a performing artist.
Hailing from Salvador in the northeast region of Brazil, Gil’s early material centered around his love for folk-country sounds before being influenced by bossa nova in the late 1950s. He founded the Tropicália movement with fellow musicians including Caetano Veloso, combining Brazilian and African rhythms with British and American popular music. By the 1970s, Gil became a political exile in London during Brazil’s dictatorship, beginning a fifty-year association with the City.
In addition to his work as a musician, Gil also served as Minister of Culture for Brazil, implementing new policies around cultural development and diversity. His dedication led to accolades such as Artist of Peace by UNESCO in 1999 and becoming a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Ambassador.
Gil celebrated his 80th birthday last year with a European tour that featured his entire family on stage. The tour was filmed for the second season of the Amazon Prime series Travelling with The Gils, which will air later this year.
Tickets for Gilberto Gil “Farewell To London” are available at comono.co.uk/live/gilberto-gil-2.
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central