A year after Covid forced the cancelation of their NYC concerts in 2021, the East LA institution Los Lobos returned to town, kicking off their three-night engagement at the gorgeous City Winery on the Hudson River on Monday night December 19th.
There was a festive mood throughout the sold-out crowd and on the stage as Christmas tunes, Los Lobos classics and covers all meshed, creating a triumphant evening of music. The long-running American outfit’s hair may be thinning (just like the crowds) but the group played with exuberant energy all night.
The night started off with the first of many covers as The Blasters‘ “Flat Top Joint” let the rockabilly roll. The baritone sax from Steven Berlin and David Hidalgo Jr.’s drums pushed the band; Junior was the MVP on this night as the Social Distortion drummer injected Los Lobos with punk rock energy throughout the show, driving and encouraging the group to play heavy and powerful.
Cesar Rosas took over with wah-wah effects and lead vocals on “Wicked Rain” before the strutting “La Venganza de Los Pelados” brought the bands snaking Tex-Mex flair to the forefront. The groove dominated on “Chuco’s Cumbia” which saw multiple solos and breakdowns leading into the roots rocking “How Will the Wolf Survive” off their debut album.
Rosas then took a second to acknowledge the passing of friend and early musical hero Dino Danelli before the group covered The Young Rascals‘ “Come On Up” for the first time ever. The holiday cheer flowed during “Christmas and You” and “Donde Esta Santa Claus?” originally recorded by twelve-year-old Augie Rios from The Bronx. The first set then wrapped up with the Little Walter blues tune “Up The Line” featuring guest guitarist Junior Mack as the six strings really started singing.
That power blues trend continued through the first three songs of the second set as the guitar interplay of David Hidalgo, Louie Pérez, Jr and Rosas layered riffs, interweaving and fluidly soaring through the roaring “Evangeline”, the speeding “You Got To Lose” and the pumping “Whiskey Trail”. The drums gave a hard edge to all of those before falling back into a spacey jam for “Kiko and the Lavender Moon” which saw Hidalgo break out a squeezebox.
The Christmas joy returned for “Arbolito de Navidad” while Pérez, Jr took over on drums during “Volver, Volver”. The roadhouse blues kicked back in with the up-tempo “Don’t Worry Baby” but the band was just getting going. Banging out a Bo Diddley beat, the outfit delivered a roaring verse of the classic “Not Fade Away” (which they let the crowd sing completely) then jammed around, seamlessly sliding into the opening riffs of “Bertha”.
The Grateful Dead and Los Lobos have a long history together and the band’s extended cover on this night was show-stopping. Guitar interplay, solos, and a pounding rhythm section all were majestic; Hidalgo particularly was on fire, delivering killer lead lines that would make Jerry Garcia smile. After the burning finale, the group returned for a soulfully sweet encore of “What’s Going On?” delivering beautiful vocals, sax, and wah-wah which wafted out into the frigid New York night as a satiated crowd filed out.
The legendary American band is currently in top form, continuing to shine brightly onstage.
One Response
The current road drummer for Los Lobos is Fredo Ortiz.. its not Dave Hidalgo Jr..