It’s a hot day out in East L.A. The simmering asphalt lines the avenue of colorful concrete buildings. A glossy red vintage car rides down the road, its rumbling engine echoing throughout the street. There is not another soul in sight. The sun is shining bright, the sky is clear blue and the air is quiet. Suddenly, the murmur of a sound can be heard. Inching closer, it appears that a building is moving with vibrations, the thin glass of the windows rattling in their panes. With the pull of a door, the atmosphere is suddenly hit with a one-two punch of music. People are screaming, jumping and dancing on the floor. Toes are moving, skirts and pants are swirling. The men of Los Lobos have taken the stage, and are ready to give the audience a show they won’t ever forget.
From an unknown band that started over 30 years ago, Los Lobos has proven they are a group to be reckoned with in music’s hall of fame. Originally starting on the streets of East L.A. in the 1970’s, Los Lobos (or “The Wolves”) broke out of the shadow of so many other musicians with an undeniable talent and interesting mix of music styles. Blending Rock n’ Roll, Tex Mex, Country, Folk, Blues and Spanish music, the band quickly gained notoriety with songs like “La Bamba” (their #1 single cover of Richie Valen’s original) and was later followed with tracks like “Mariachi Suite,” the soundtrack song for the 1995 movie, Desperado. The boys have toured with everyone from Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead to U2 and Eric Clapton, and have won several grammys along the way to mark their success. Now touring across America, Los Lobos are giving fans everything they want and more with thrilling, heart-pounding, foot-stomping shows.
With two completely sold-out performances, One World Theatre was the place to be in Austin to see the boys in action. The auditorium was packed to the gills as you could sense the excitement and anticipation in the atmosphere from every patron in sight. As the spotlights of red, orange and yellow hit the floor, the stage was suddenly taken over with Los Lobos and their unmistakable sound. Every member of the band was so energetic, playing both to the audience and off of one another, making the whole experience even more playful and fun.
In addition, each musician (including Louie Perez, Steve Berlin, Cesar Rosas, Conrad Lozano, David Hidalgo and Cougar Estrada) were all playing several instruments and singing on top of that- what incredible talent! Listening to their pitch-perfect music that was so exuberant and fiery, and seeing the exhilaration of the crowd’s reaction, it’s obvious why this group has been around for over three decades and continues to play sold-out shows. By the time Los Lobos performed “La Bamba” towards the end of their set, it was over; any audience member could have just died and gone to heaven (metaphorically speaking, of course.)
Furthermore, it couldn’t have been a better experience than to see these musical artists at the One World Theatre. For a band whose played sold-out arenas and even entertained at the White House, this venue was able to provide an up-close and personal performance for its audience members with such a well-known band. Between the intimate auditorium of 300 seats, the incredible acoustics that captured the band’s sound and the lighting to help the artists shine even more, patrons left buzzing with a true satisfaction from experiencing such a great show. The next time Los Lobos are at One World Theatre, be sure to catch them and see what everyone else has been talking about!
