Los Lobos delivered a fun, crowd-pleasing set Friday night at the Capitol Theater in Clearwater. That’s both a compliment and … not so much.
While the storied six-piece (playing plugged-in acoustic guitars with electric bass, drums, saxophone and keys) showcased superb musicianship and an easy band chemistry forged over decades of gigs, they never quite tapped into that something extra — the magic that renders a concert memorable.
That’s probably not a fair expectation of a workhorse touring band — not every gig is going to shoot out sparks — but, hey, a fella can hope.
Los Lobos loves their covers — and so do their fans. During the Capitol show, the group served up surprises with Traffic’s “Dear Mr. Fantasy” and the Allman Brothers’ “Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’.” But they also fell back on shopworn selections like an extended version of the Grateful Dead’s “Bertha,” a little snippet of The Temptation’s “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” and the Rascals’ “Good Lovin’,” which is routinely sewn into “La Bamba” (this evening’s encore).
While these covers contribute a loose barroom atmosphere, dozens of Los Lobos’ quality songs get left in the vault. (On the way home I cued up the band’s Colossal Head from ’96, and was reminded anew just how frickin’ good it is. Unless I missed something, Los Lobos left that record out of the set entirely.)
Another disappointment — relatively speaking — was the inclusion of only one song from the band’s fine new album Gates of Gold (the title track).
Because of the semi-acoustic format, the group — the core of which was formed in East Los Angeles — went fairly heavy on the Tex-Mex/Latin American material. This music is in their DNA, and it shows. Cascading acoustic guitars and squeezebox accordion enhanced these tunes.
Another beneficiary of the acoustic approach was saxophonist Steve Berlin, who played a series of stirring solos on baritone and tenor, and chipped in a little flute as well. For Los Lobos’ electric shows, he is often relegated to a more supporting role.
As much as the semi-plugged instrumentation offered a welcome change of pace — and an easy-on-the-ears sound in the intimate room — I couldn’t help but wish for a few ringing and ripping Stratocaster solos by David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas.
So all my wishes didn’t come true. Still, any day I get to see a Los Lobos show is a good day.
This article appears in Mar 17-23, 2016.
