Review: Los Lobos - 11/15/03 - private charity event @ Milwaukee Road Depot - Mpls, MN

"Charity On Ice"


Saw Los Lobos last night at a very hoity-toity, formal charity benefit here in Minneapolis. The whole night had a certain element of adventure attached to it since it was kind of a "private" function that barely made a blip on the radar screen. The thought that LL was in town doing a show that hardly any "music lover" was aware of still blows my mind a bit. We headed down to the event not even knowing if we would be able to get in. When all was said and done it turned out to be one of the coolest, most enjoyable concert experiences I've had in well over 30 years of attending live rock shows. The whole night was kind of a surreal dream: what if you went to a LL concert and hardly anybody was there? In terms of stage proximity and access to the band, this ranked right up there with those 1999 Marlboro Miles "private" shows.

The venue was the refurbished Milwaukee Road Depot, a former train station that has become one of the coolest renovation projects in recent Mpls history. It's smack in the middle of a much delayed overhaul of the historic (pre-Civil War) riverfront on the West bank of the Mississippi river in downtown Mpls. As Conrad L. noted after the show, whoever did the work has done a superb job. Five years ago this site was a rusted out piece of urban blight. It's now a first class complex that features, among other things, a beautiful indoor skating rink that doubles as an event center. The skating rink area has a glass wall so you can drive down Washington Ave. and see people skating as you zip by. Now that I think about it, if people looked closely last night they would have seen LL playing on stage! It's a huge space with a large stage and top notch lighting and sound. Behind the stage you can view the old Milwaukee Road clock tower through a glass ceiling. A low angle photograph of this with the boys on stage would've been a perfect cover for a bootleg of this show that would just have to be called "Charity on Ice." BTW, even though some of the guys got a tour of the facilities before the show, none of them realized they were actually playing on a big slab of ice (which was covered, of course, for the show). The space was set up with the stage and a very large open space in front of it at one end, a bunch of banquet tables in the middle, and a bar / coat check area on the other end.

The event itself was a fundraiser for the Minnesota Children's HeartLink charity, an annual function held in conjunction with a celebrity pool tournament that used to bear the name of former Minnesota Twin Kirby Puckett. There were tons of local "celebrities" in attendance (mostly TV news cats and pro athletes), although I was shocked when the band started playing and noticed Leslie Nielsen standing a few feet away near the edge of the dance floor. I guess he was the premier "real" celeb in attendance - read into that what you will.

This event had been billed as a "private party," but that wasn't entirely accurate. Tickets were available to the public, but at $200 per person I guess it was, for most common folk, essentially a private shindig. My wife and I, veterans of several dozen LL shows, had been fretting about this thing since I first heard about it. All we knew was that there was no friggin' way we were gonna stay home and watch Saturday Night Live when Los Lobos was in town!

Paying wasn't an option, so we decided to just head on down since we live right across the river, less than 10 minutes away. The event ran 6pm-midnight and, through a bit of "advance scouting," my wife found out the set time was 10pm. We decided to head on down around 9 or so to check things out. The Depot complex is connected to a brand new Marriott hotel so when we got there we headed for the lounge. We promptly spotted David, Victor and Steve enjoying a cocktail with a small group of people. I immediately took this as a good omen. I could bore you with a bunch of useless details, but suffice it to say we essentially got in the old-fashioned way - by crashing the party. I won't give away any trade secrets but here are two tips: 1) try to blend in 2) when in Rome...As for "event security," by the time we got there (after 3+ hours of dinner, speeches and auctions) there essentially wasn't any. I wish I could say that we concocted a complex plan of Mission Impossible-like subterfuge in order to gain admission, but the simple truth is that we just walked right in with nary a glance from anybody with a walkie talkie.

The show began promptly at 10, about 20 minutes after a live auction had ended. A significant portion of the crowd had left or was in the process of doing so. The large dance floor in front of the band was totally empty. 30 minutes into the set there couldn't have been more than a few hundred people left in what is a very large space. The number of people up by the stage was even less. After an hour the total crowd was down to about a hundred. It's amazing how many of the "stuffed shirts" clearly had no interest in the music.

The stage setup was very typical and, with the large stage, the boys certainly had lots of room to move. The band flew in their guitars, drums and keyboards and rented the "back line." The sound was, somewhat to my shock, totally excellent. I moved around a bit during the first 10 minutes and found a "sweet spot." Being a semi-retired taper I soon had that sinking feeling that accompanies a "LTO" (lost taping opportunity). Then I realized that I was 15 feet away from David Hildago ripping through "Don't Worry Baby" and suddenly all was right with the world! I was surprised to see two huge video screens on either side of the stage which showed all the action on stage. There were 4 or so cameras and a mixer - all very professional. At least there's a video recording of the night somewhere.

Given the setting, I didn't figure we'd get much in the way of jamming, but the 90 minute set was actually a nice mix of a little bit of everything that LL does so well. It was very clear that the boys were loose and in fine spirits. Since this obviously wasn't a typical LL crowd, I had no idea what to expect. The fact that virtually everybody I saw was decked out in formal wear just added to the strangeness. Like I said, very surreal... A fair number of people did hit the dance floor in front of the stage right way -- always a good sign at an LL show. David, bless his heart, did his usual exhortation for people to dance and "come up closer," which pretty much kicked off the dance party. Anybody who saw the Guthrie Theater gig here in Mpls earlier this year knows how critical it is to get the band's "seal of approval" for dancing in venues that normally don't see much in the way of rump-shakin'. Nothing shuts down an overzealous usher like a guy in the band telling them from the stage to chill out!

They went "Top 40" early with Richie Valens, but they soon stretched things out with a Papa>ICY>Santana run that was absolutely superb, one of the best I'd ever seen or heard. On this particular night the band may have been the "entertainment" at a big party, but for all intents and purposes they pretty much treated the whole night like just another concert. Some local radio dude who has a blues band on the side popped up to blow harp on "One Way Out" and "All Night Long," which I'd never seen LL do before. David actually asked for requests a couple of times; "Kiko" was the direct result of some very well dressed woman standing next to me. At one point I yelled out "Mas y Mas" and she excitedly started jumping up and down saying, "ooh, that would be a good one." You just never know when (and where) you're gonna run into a lobos-head!

I had no idea how long the set was going to be and was pleasantly surprised to see the boys cruising along after the 1 hour mark. When they went into "Angel Dance" - a frequent jam "launching pad" - I started entertaining thoughts of a marathon set but they ended it early, which was still fine with me as this is one of my fave live LL songs, one that I _never_ get sick of hearing. The set wound down with a typically beautiful Marvin Gaye reading and "La Bamba," with a little Young Rascals thrown in for good measure. You just knew they were gonna play their big "hit" for this kind of crowd; at least they did it last. David invited all of the ladies on stage for the finale and most all of them (and a few dudes, too) dutifully headed up to join the band. Victor and Cougar handed out some percussion thingies and my wife and I stood their, our mouths agape, watching the pride of "East Los" playing away in the midst of 60 or 70 people dressed in tuxes and prom dresses! Who needs drugs, huh? This was beyond surreal.

Since this wasn't really a "concert," when the band thanked everyone and headed off the stage most of the people just kinda stood around and didn't do much of anything! Everybody filed off the stage and eventually a few people stared clapping and yelling. Before long more people joined in and, sure enough, the band came back and offered up a nice "Bertha," in response to a request. A Deadhead at a black-tie $200 event? Now that's what I call a long, strange trip.

We talked to a few people after the show, including a fellow "scammer" we met who shocked his wife earlier in the night when he pulled out his suit at 9pm, causing her to ask, "you're going where?" He was a commercial real-estate broker and said that LL was his favorite band. He found out about the gig earlier in the week and made up his mind on the spot that he was going to go. Sometimes you just gotta do what ya gotta do.

We headed out of the rink close to midnight, still stunned by what had transpired. Seeing one of your fave bands do a full concert in the kind of setting where you could practically walk up to the stage and start talking to the band (something I actually saw occur a few times during the show!) was more than a little freakin' weird. We soon noticed 3 attractive young ladies that had been hanging out with the band before the show in the hotel lounge. We kinda nodded at them as we all headed in the same direction. As we were trying to find our way out to the street where our car was, we noticed that they were going into a hotel "meeting room" with a sign on the outside that said "band." We kinda tagged along and ended up hanging with the boys for awhile as they wound down and chatted with friends and a few other fans. They couldn't have been nicer or more gracious. I soon "came to the rescue" when I volunteered the use of the corkscrew on Swiss Army knife to Conrad as he wandered around the room with a full bottle of wine, a glass and a confused look. My knife was pressed into service several more times as people needed beer and wine bottles opened. I knew my Boy Scout training would come in handy some day! I'd met the boys on a few occasions over the almost 20 years they've been coming to Mpls but my wife was in seventh heaven. She got hugs and kisses from Conrad and Cesar (quote from her: "I can die happy now"), a few autographs and even a nice T-shirt. The highlight for me was David sincerely thanking us for supporting the band over the years when we unabashedly told him we were huge fans. You could tell how much the fans mean to these guys and that's no BS. At the risk of being self-serving, I think they dug the fact that a few of us "fans" had shown up. They certainly got a kick out of our chutzpah! I got the impression that they don't always get the same vibe from the "stuffed shirts" at these "private" gigs that they do out in the real world.

Conrad and Cesar also talked about the new record they are in the midst of recording (at Cesar's studio) with a plethora of guest artists including Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and Richard Thompson. It's scheduled to be released in May - no title yet.

So, that's most of the dirty details. Needless to say, a truly memorable evening - one surreal moment after another and a great set from the best live touring band in the biz. The price sure was right! Apologies for anything resembling gloating but the "back story" was, I thought, almost as interesting as the show itself.


LOS LOBOS
15 November 2003
Milwaukee Road Depot Skating Rink
Minneapolis, MN
Children's HeartLink Benefit

1. Luz Di Mi Vida
2. Don't Worry Baby
3. Done Gone Blue
4. Come On Let's Go
5. Sabor a Mi
6. Evangeline
7. Papa Was a Rolling Stone >
8. I Can't Understand >
9. Oya Coma Va
10. One Way Out *
11. Georgia Slop
12. Cinnamon Girl
13. Maricela
14. Kiko and the Lavender Moon
15. All Night Long *
16. Anselma
17. Angel Dance
18. What's Going On
19. La Bamba >
20. Good Lovin'
21. La Bamba
ENCORE
22. Bertha

* With Chris Hawkey - harmonica

[90m]

Review: Los Lobos - 7/2/03 - Minnesota Zoo - Apple Valley, MN

2 July 2003 - Weesner Amphitheater @ The Minnesota Zoo - Apple Valley,
Minnesota

Round 2 of Rockin' the MN Zoo was every bit as fun and spirited as the first
night. Both nights were an all around success on just about every level. The
band really seemed to dig the whole thing and they came out in a great mood
and just started flyin' right off the bat.

They started a bit earlier - and even pushed the curfew a few minutes on the
other end, much to the displeasure of a Zoo official who was making frantic
"cut" motions to the monitor guy at exactly 10:31. 110 minutes total, almost
15 minutes more than Tuesday. Weather was even hotter and stickier - and
more unstable. A few raindrops showed up after an hour, the wind kicked up
and the temp started dropping - all classic signs of approaching Midwestern
Thunderboomers. Fortunately, the weather gods held off on the pyrotechnics
until a few hours after the show ended.

After the boys took the stage, they started doodling around and it soon
became clear that they were gonna kick night 2 off with that long, way cool
intro to "One Time, One Night." Always one of my all time fave LL songs (and
some of Louie's very best lyrics) and this version was sublime. It's always
a good sign for things to come when a concert starts off at such a high
point.

In fact, the whole vibe of night 2 was better - the rhythm section seemed to
be grooving better, the jams and workouts flowed more freely (vividly on
display during an outrageously good 15 minute "Down By the River" - more on
that in a bit), and the all-important, intangible crowd-band juju was very
solid. The band just seemed more comfortable and relaxed. And being the
first date announced (Tuesday's show was the add-on) there were more people
here for round 2; this sucker was way sold out.

Like the night before, there was a whole mess of great guitar work early
on - David was even better on Wednesday, and he eventually got some able
assistance from Cesar and Louie. Louie scorched through at least 3 awesome
solos (which is at least 3 more than Tuesday, and that's certainly not meant
as a criticism, just an observation) and was noticeably more engaged, pacing
the stage, interacting with the crowd, pumping his fist in the air at times.
The 3 guitar attack was used to great effect several times during the show.

Very little duplication over the two nights. Just "Maria Christina" and
"SMA" by my reckoning. "Someday" was a huge surprise (although I found out
later that they had played it a few months ago in New Orleans) and was
absolutely gorgeous. The "I Can't Understand" jam was also especially fine.

And I still can't believe how kick-ass "Politician" was. My friend Roy (a
huge 60s music fan) next to me recognized it right away and started freaking
out. This version was considerably "heavier" than the one on the JABFELA
mini-box. I mentioned after the song how bizarre it was to hear how David's
voice was a dead ringer for Jack Bruce and how much his guitar sounded like
Clapton. Like 2 guys inhabiting one body. A one man Cream reunion. Or
something like that. It made sense when I thought about it at the show. :)

After the show my wife and I both marveled at how lucky we were to catch the
boys 2 nights in a row in such a cool setting, and how versatile they all
were, being able to play such different sets and still maintain such a high
level of excellence. Sometimes it's almost like getting a different band on
different nights.

There was also a cool "space" jam at the end of DIB, where DH fiddled
extensively with some FX (digital delay pedal, I think). Just like seeing
the Dead in the old days: sometimes ya get a little "SPACE; " sometimes ya
get some "DRUMS." Speaking of the Dead, the always popular in Minnesota
"Bertha" got a rousing reception in the encore as the clock was ticking
down.

And then there was the trip down by the river down by the lake down at the
zoo. After seeing 3 Neil Young "Greendale" shows a few weeks ago, I was
keyed into this one from the first chords, coming out of the ICY jam. I've
seen them do this many times in concert before but this version was special.
They really got into the slow groove and just took their sweet time jamming
from one high to another. All 3 electric guitars took nice long solos, and
at one point Cesar and David started a guitar "duel," an homage to the
legendary Stills-Young faceoffs during the Buffalo Springfield and early
CSNY days. DBTR just cruised along - the 15 minutes simultaneously went by
in a flash and seemed to linger forever, if you get my drift. The whole
crowd went nuts - awed jamband heads and new fans alike.

I think the boys were even a bit surprised at how long DBTR went. Time was
whizzing by and they still hadn't played any "trad" songs yet. Minnesota is
serious polka country (lots of Germans, doncha know) so it was kinda weird
to see an almost pure LL "rock" show. Then David suddenly called out to some
guy named "Eric" and the next thing you know the guy's on stage and calling
out to some chick. Before long, the poor sap is down on one knee and is
proposing to his clearly stunned GF. She accepted, everyone oohed and awed
and the band launched into a classic wedding song, "When We Get Married,"
which a brief round of "googling" showed to be an old doo wop song done by
The Dreamlovers in 1961 (a #10 hit). Yet another side of this multifaceted
band: the wedding singers from East LA.

After this little interlude, it was polka time with SMA (done both nights
cuz "Minnesota" is in the lyrics perhaps?) and then a nice little Rolling
Stones capper to the main set. Another funny thing: no covers until the
encore on Tuesday, then a ton of 'em on Wednesday. Like I said, you never
know what band is going to show up...

Before you knew it, almost 2 hours had gone by and the 2 night stand had
come to an end. We left totally satisfied but a bit bummed too since there
wasn't gonna be a night 3. Hell, my car practically drove itself way out to
the 'burbs the second night. I was just getting used to the routine. I do
see, though, that there's a show later this month in Chicago. And, it's at a
zoo, too. Do I smell another road trip?

ROUGH SETLIST
1 Time 1 Night
Someday ( labeled "old style" on the setlist)
My Baby's Gone
Don't Worry Baby
Politician (!?!#*!)
Up the Line
Malaque >
Maria Christina
Dream in Blue >
space
Come On Let's Go
Papa Was a Rolling Stone >
I Can't Understand >
Exodus (fragment) >
Down By the River (15 min!)
[on-stage marriage proposal by some guy named "Eric"]
When We Get Married
SMA
The Last Time (tease) >
It's All Over Now
ENCORE
Mona >
NFA >
Bertha

Review: Los Lobos - 7/1/03 - Minnesota Zoo - Apple Valley, MN

1 July 2003 - Weesner Amphitheater @ The Minnesota Zoo - Apple Valley, Minnesota

Holy frijoles, whatta show!

Night 1 of festivities at one of the premier venues in Minnesota. Being in the largest metro area in the country without a major, permanent outdoor venue sucks big time. So, we all up here in the land of 10,000 lakes have to take every available opportunity to catch some live music in the great out of doors, especially when it's at a little "boutique" amphitheater (cap. is 1500) in the middle of a huge "natural habitat" zoo on a near-perfect, slightly balmy summer evening, down by a lake with nothing above our heads but the moon, the stars and a few mosquitoes.

First show since Euro mini Festival tour. First time in Minny since the Guthrie last October. 5th time (maybe more??) at the MN Zoo; first time since 1998.

Show was almost 100 minutes and was sheer joy from stem to stern.

Started out pretty "heavy" - the "Dave show." Lots of great guitar solos by DH right out of the gate. They worked on the middle of songs, stretching things out, jammin' a bit.

Did a great version of "Wolf" in honor of some "little lobitos" (baby wolves) that were just born in captivity and being housed just a stones throw away from the stage.

Loved hearing "Matter of Time" live, possibly for the first time in person. "Train" was stretched way out, the last 5 or 6 minutes was pure "freestyle." Even crowd fave "Cumbia Raza" got pumped up - culminating in a tribal percussion jam that had them doing this way cool double time thing that was just jaw-dropping.

Cesar was typically brilliant on "Luz De Mi Vida" and "Estoy Sentado Aqui" (damn near as good a show stopper as "VV").

Priceless DH banter: "how many of ya from St. Paul? How many from, uh, Minneapolis? How many from... uh....Eagan? [nearby suburb] [crowd laughs] Well, that's where I'm from. That's my _barrio_" [band cracks up]

Reserved bench seating but dancing was definitely allowed, even though it was kinda tight down in front of the stage. After a few songs, and some predictable prodding from David, tons of people were up. By the end of the night, a good portion in the lower "bowl" was dancing away.

A few sound probs early - some high frequency squeals on a couple of songs including, unfortunately, "Matter of Time."

Curfew forced a quick end at 10:30 with a rippin' "My Generation."

Well populated taper section - saw at least 4 pro rigs and plenty of digital sharing so there should be no prob with recordings.

Saw "Shoot out the Lights" on the setlist but don't think I heard hit (was out of earshot for a few minutes in the middle).

Rough setlist:
Maria Christina
Good Morning Aztlan
The Neighborhood
Shakin' Shakin' Shakes
Down By the Riverbed
Done Gone Blue
Matter of Time
Will the Wolf Survive
Luz De Mi Vida
Hearts of Stone
Maricela
That Train Don't Stop Here Anymore > jam
Estoy Sentado Aqui
SMA
Cumbia Raza > perc. jam > Cumbia Raza
ENCORE
My Generation

21 hours until round 2. Can't Wait.