From the moment Los Lobos hit the stage, their Latin vibe rhythmic rock and roll set everything in motion; the sextet wandered the stage as if making a game of musical chairs, their fans were shaking and by the end of the night the tiny theater was quaking. At this point in their forty-two year career with grey hair and untucked button down shirts over thickening mid sections guitar players, David Hidalgo, Cesar Rosas and Louie Perez, bassist Conrad Lozano and drummer Enrique Gonzalez and saxophonist Steve Berlin look more like your (crazy) uncles than rock stars. But right from the opener “La Venganza De Los Pelados” it was clear time hasn’t affected their ability to deliver musically.
The band rolled right through the first half hour as Hidalgo’s strong vocal lead the band in the manic blues of “I Walk Alone”, Berlin’s flute solo highlighted the ragtime “Manny’s Bones”, and Lozano hopped around the small stage with an infectious smile through both “Revolution” and Fleetwood Mac’s, “Rattlesnake Shake.” The latter ending in a rotating musical jam that led Rosas to happily conclude, “I didn’t see that coming!” The jam also cooked Lozano’s bass amp. As roadies and guitar techs tended to the equipment issues the band and audience caught their collective breath with the mid-tempo groove of “Burn It Down”, although a visual distraction the sound was mostly unaffected.
Midway through the night there was some confusion at the start of “Tears of God” leading Rosas to remark, “Forty-two years and we’re still working on the live show, but its going to be awesome,” he wasn’t lying as the gospel harmonies over Hidalgo’s vocal raised the song close to a spiritual experience. The Cajun, swamp blues by way of East LA of “Kiko and the Lavender Moon” was a crowd favorite. As Perez moved from guitar to drums for “How much Can I Do?” and “Ay Te Dejo En San Antonio” the band began the push to the finish.
Buddy Guy prodigy Quinn Sullivan joined the band for the final three songs: “Volver, Volver”, “Don’t Leave Me Wonderin” and “Mas Y Mas.” Showing an aptitude beyond his years Sullivan gradually built the solos in each song ultimately bringing down the house by the end of “Mas.” Sullivan also stuck around for the encore blues jam that ended the two hour set with “Don’t Worry Baby”.
In a nice contrast Alejandro Escovedo opened the night on acoustic guitar accompanied by talented fiddler Warren Hood who, in a touching story Escovedo revealed to knowing all Hood’s life being the son of Escovedo’s guitarist, Champ Hood.
After opening with “Sally Was a Cop”, he introduced most songs with a nice backstory; “Five Hearts Breaking” was written for an old Austin, musician neighbor “San Antonio Rain” was penned with Chuck Prophet, and “Chelsea Hotel ’78” was about the death of Sex Pistol’s Sid Vicious’ girlfriend Nancy Spungen. The pair improvised nicely through the latter tune before closing the set with the pop, “Wasn’t I Always A Friend.”
Photos by Marc Lacatell
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