My friend Curtis DJ’s weddings/parties/events and mentioned recently how unfamiliar he is with the world music requests he gets, mainly Spanish and Latin American artists and songs, i.e. Bad Bunny.
By no means am I an expert in non-English, non-Anglo Saxon music, but I do have a decent collection spanning countries, languages, and genres: Argentina samba, Cuban, J-Pop, Klezmer, French chanson, Brazilian psychedelic, Nigerian rock, Spanish punk, German pop, Hungarian folk, etc. I said I’d pull a list to start his World Music education/indoctrination.
One group I seriously love is Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, an Argentinian, rock, ska, reggae band who dabble in other genres as well. I stumbled into their album Fabuloso Calavera maybe seven years ago and listen to it constantly. It’s an incredible album: stylistically diverse but the songs fit together, tight, and a lot of fun. The band has won a Latin Grammy for another album. A talented group.
So while creating the list for Curtis, I discovered that the Cadillacs were on tour. First time in a while (maybe 2017?). Playing in Los Angeles. At the Hollywood Fucking Bowl. And tickets available! After a 30-second discussion with my wife, tickets purchased, airfare be damned, we’re going!
To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect: I have never attended a foreign-language show, much less a stadium show (the Hollywood Bowl seats 17,500). Definitely outsiders, exemplified by the woman who asked You’re not Latin? Why are you here? Or the Chilean man sitting with his California girlfriend: How do you listen to the lyrics? And when I said how Fabulosos Calavera hooked me, we bonded over our mutual love of the album.
The show itself? Definitely an all-time, top-five shows for me, no question. Great late summer weather at a historic venue. A tight, talented band. Excellent sound quality. The Los Angeles Latino community came out in full force, singing, dancing, swaying, partying. And then the crowd absolutely lost it during Matador. OMFG, simply indescribable, so much fun, it went by way too fast.
The best way to explain is like Bruce Springsteen playing Rosalita where everyone is singing with Bruce, but here it’s Spanish songs by a group that most Americans have never heard of. And this crowd knew all the songs, all the lyrics, and made sure you knew it!
Los Angeles Times Review
Setlist
From setlist.fm
Definitely one of our best spontaneous decisions: museums, friends, Dodgers game at Chavez Ravine, and topped off by a great concert. Unforgettable weekend.
All pictures © 2023 Scott Christopher Sosna
