Man, considering how long it took me to get around to seeing Los Lobos, it's crazy that I've seen them twice in the space of two years. And the second time (this past Saturday), they played within walking distance of my house, at the Everett Theatre.

The show was great. They were going from a setlist this time, unlike the show I saw a couple years ago. But they had a more raw, ragged, swaggering quality to their performance. And they really had people dancing in the aisles at this one.

SETLIST:

The Way You Love Me
I Walk Alone
Gates of Gold
Will the Wolf Survive?
Cumbia Raza
The Neighborhood
Shakin' Shakin' Shakes
Dream in Blue
Poquito Para Aqui
West L.A. Fadeaway (Grateful Dead cover)
Kiko and the Lavender Moon
Si Yo Quisiera
Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio
Light Up or Leave Me Alone (Traffic cover)
Don't Worry Baby

ENCORE:
Georgia Slop
La Bamba/Good Lovin'/La Bamba [reprise]

Opening was a Seattle-based group called the Staxx Brothers. They play a basically jam-band version of soul music. They're actually a damn tight unit, but the lead singer made it impossible for me to get into. He reminded me of a soul version of Jack Black's character in School of Rock: he's so eager to get down and get his groove on, he doesn't realize what an annoying poser he is. (He even looks a lot like Jack.) He's not all that much of a singer, frankly. And when he turned his back to the crowd and shook his ass -- the upper half of which was actually on display above the beltline of his jeans -- I wanted to throw stuff at him.

I only saw Los Lobos once, around 1998. It was a special show before a D.C. United game, and the heavily-Hispanic audience was demanding they play more songs in Spanish. They replied with a feedback-heavy version of "Cinnamon Girl." They're truly one of the all-time great American bands; I just was going through my vinyl and sorted through ... And a Time to Dance, Will the Wolf Survive, and The Neighborhood.

They did a free show in NYC yesterday at the River & Blues Festival in Battery Park City. (It's a beautiful park by the river, and the festival's at the very north end of the park. To get there, you out at the Chambers St. 1/2/3 stop and just keep walking west on Chambers.) Great show that was heavy on the blues-rock given the theme of the summer-long festival, and the organization was surprisingly very casual. I got there early, and I think the immense heat we've had this past week kept most people away until maybe 20-30 minutes before showtime. There's no backstage area, just this cordoned off section at stage right. It's also next to the only place that has any shade around that area thanks to a big tall tree. I waited there to avoid getting sunburned and saw the band walk in one by one. It was pretty easy to say hello and chat with them - really cordial and down-to-earth guys. The lead singer is David Hidalgo, and I had a different experience than the one described upthread - no posturing whatsoever, and definitely no oversinging. To be fair, the sound was LOUD, probably to cover the entire park as they only had the speakers in front of the stage, and the vocals in general were tougher to hear than anything else. Guitarist Scott Sharrard, who used to play with Gregg Allman and joined the current incarnation of Little Feat in 2020, and a harmonica player whose name escapes me joined in on a couple of blues jams. It was a very loose and casual show, almost felt like a band of neighborhood guys playing for their friends (and indeed they had quite a few watching stage right, and Cesar clearly enjoyed having them there given his interactions with them).

They played a residency at City Winery the week before Christmas in 2022. Had to miss it due to the holidays, but it was supposed to be great with a different setlist every night. Hopefully I can catch something like that in the future.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/2024 01:44PM by belfast.

Actually, I believe Delvin was referring to the lead singer of the opening band, not the Los Lobos singer. Pretty sure Dave Hidalgo doesn't shake his butt at the audience too often. But I bet, if he did, he could make it work.

Apologies, read through that too fast!

I would definitely want to see Los Lobos again but the East Coast heat wave is making any daytime outdoor concerts seem unfathomable.