Ozomatli Rulz!
Friends and I went to a show last night at the Orpheum Theater. A friend of mine is a fan of Los Lonely Boys and also had been strongly encouraged to see the opening band live. What I know of Los Lonely Boys is just the two songs that get radio play. They sound like their "together" enough but it's not something that really trips my trigger.
The opening band was Ozomatli from L.A. and all I can say is holy shit are these guys fantastic! From the first note they had the crowd up and moving with an energy level that hit the ceiling and never came back down. At one point, I though the stage was going to fall over because they were dancing so hard the speaker stacks were swaying. They finished their set by breaking down pieces of their percussion instruments and leading a procession out of the theater and into the lobby where their sound just echoed madly off of the high, ornate ceiling. This band alone was worth the price of admission.
There seemed to be a long delay before Los Lonely Boys hit the stage. Perhaps they were trying to kill the buzz because they new they wouldn't be up to following Ozomatli. LLB took a while to warm up and the sound wasn't that hot for them. The guitarist/vocalist was hitting a few sour notes during the first couple of songs and then the set turned in to the most egregious display of guitar wankery that I've heard in a long time.
At one point, the drummer, organist and "bass player" (real bass players don't need six strings) left the stage. The guitarist was lit by one spotlight and he began to noodle. Noodle, noodle, noodle...I got up and went to the bathroom...Noodle, noodle, noodle...Then went to the bar, ordered a mixed drink (they take a little longer to make)...Noodle, noodle, noodle...Wandered upstairs and into the balcony...Noodle, noodle, noodle! What the hell! From the balcony, I could see the faces of the fans closets to the stage. They looked bored even though they were trying to engage. Lead guitar wanker was contorted around his instrument, technically proficient as he zipped up and down the fretboard, sweat beading on his forehead. Yet, there was a complete disconnect between the audience and the musician. The tune went on for an uncomfortable 15+ minutes. When the drummer came back on stage and started a drum solo people were actually relieved. What a waste of electricity!
In short:
Ozomatli=Great!
LLB=Now we know why their lonely
BTW-LLB's cover of Superstition was completely souless, BLAhhhHHHK!
The opening band was Ozomatli from L.A. and all I can say is holy shit are these guys fantastic! From the first note they had the crowd up and moving with an energy level that hit the ceiling and never came back down. At one point, I though the stage was going to fall over because they were dancing so hard the speaker stacks were swaying. They finished their set by breaking down pieces of their percussion instruments and leading a procession out of the theater and into the lobby where their sound just echoed madly off of the high, ornate ceiling. This band alone was worth the price of admission.
There seemed to be a long delay before Los Lonely Boys hit the stage. Perhaps they were trying to kill the buzz because they new they wouldn't be up to following Ozomatli. LLB took a while to warm up and the sound wasn't that hot for them. The guitarist/vocalist was hitting a few sour notes during the first couple of songs and then the set turned in to the most egregious display of guitar wankery that I've heard in a long time.
At one point, the drummer, organist and "bass player" (real bass players don't need six strings) left the stage. The guitarist was lit by one spotlight and he began to noodle. Noodle, noodle, noodle...I got up and went to the bathroom...Noodle, noodle, noodle...Then went to the bar, ordered a mixed drink (they take a little longer to make)...Noodle, noodle, noodle...Wandered upstairs and into the balcony...Noodle, noodle, noodle! What the hell! From the balcony, I could see the faces of the fans closets to the stage. They looked bored even though they were trying to engage. Lead guitar wanker was contorted around his instrument, technically proficient as he zipped up and down the fretboard, sweat beading on his forehead. Yet, there was a complete disconnect between the audience and the musician. The tune went on for an uncomfortable 15+ minutes. When the drummer came back on stage and started a drum solo people were actually relieved. What a waste of electricity!
In short:
Ozomatli=Great!
LLB=Now we know why their lonely
BTW-LLB's cover of Superstition was completely souless, BLAhhhHHHK!
2 Comments:
oh testify sister!
I've seen LLB two too many times for work now, and they've bored me to tears both times!
They showed up at Summerfest with some major league attitude and proceeded to ruin a perfectly good night of music at the Miller Oasis.
What killed me about the "wankery" wasn't even that good! It was *bad*, neigh, HORRIBLE wankery. The 'bastard likes some wankery once in awhile, but not the flaccid "SRV-lite" action these boys are throwing up.
Gah!
-jB
Good! I was beginning to think it was just me...Yet again.
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