Hey everyone!!!! For those of you that are still hanging in with me (I hope there are lots of you- I'm too scared to check my stats!) I'm sorry for my recent disappearance. As I mentioned in my last post, things have been so crazy around here with my family visiting and the holiday parties. After the last of my visitors were gone, I fully intended on getting back into blogging and visiting all my favorite blogs, but ended up hibernating in my apartment instead. I think my busy social agenda finally caught up with me. As most of you can probably relate to, the longer I took to get back to blogging, the harder it was to try to get back to blogging! But, I have buckled down today, and I'm writing here whether I like it or not. I have lots to catch you up on, and many half-started posts await you in the coming days and weeks. So, on with it...
On Saturday night three friends and I went to see Ozomatli at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe. Before I tell you about the show, let me give you a little of my Ozomatli history. I first saw them on Later with Jools Holland several years ago and I was instantly drawn in by their energy. I don't remember the performance very well, but I do remember lots of band members and lots of energy and a huge sound. They style was also so unique- a latin/hip hop/rap band from Los Angeles with black, white, latino and asian band members! But for some reason I never got around to checking them out, and pretty much forgot about them over the years. That is, until a couple months back when I was at a show and saw a poster for an upcoming Ozomatli show. I remembered the Jools performance and made a note to myself to check them out. I borrowed their most recent album (Street Signs) and a recent live album (Live at the Fillmore) from my local library and instantly fell in love. I put the cd's on high rotation, got a few friends hooked as well, and so the four of us went to see them Saturday night...
If you've been reading my blog for a while you're pretty familiar with how obsessed with music I can be, and how obsessed with the details I am at shows. I take a little moleskine notebook with me to write down the set lists, and fully immerse myself in the experience of the show. If I go alone I'm usually right near the stage so I can see everything the band does and take it all in. I'm like a musical sponge. I notice the details and I love it. I didn't used to be this way, but the more shows I go to, the more I appreciate the intricacies and the effort it takes to produce the music, and it just awes me. Now, I say all this in preparation to justify why I am going to give you a terrible account of the Ozomatli show. It's not because I don't know how, or I'm not practiced in the art of observing and relating a story, it's just that I was too busy having waaay too much fun!
My friends and I arrived a little after 8, in the middle of the opening band's set. The opener was scheduled to be Salvadore Santana, but I'm not sure whether it was or not because I'm not familiar with his/their music. From what we saw the music was decent, and the crowd was fairly into it. It was nothing I'd run out and buy, but the music seemed to be a fitting opener for Ozo.
Ozomatli took the stage around 9 pm to a crowd of around 250-300 people, which was less than I expected but turned out to be the perfect size. The venue appeared full, but there was still enough space around everyone that you could dance and not be right on top of the people next to you. The guys took the stage one at a time, which I always think is a great touch because it gives the crowd a chance to recognize each band member individually, and it makes for a really cool build up of the sound (and with 10 band members it takes a while!). Dos Cosas Ciertas is the perfect song to do this with, and is a great opener because it's so upbeat. The crowd went totally crazy, and pretty much never stopped going crazy the whole night. The crowd often times has the power to make an average show great or an average show awful, and this crowd definitely made the show great. Everyone was totally into the music and sang and danced their asses off.
After the first song, the details are a bit fuzzy. I was just so busy having fun that I didn't pay attention to what was happening on stage, which I sort of regret now because that's one of the things I love most about going to see live music. There are some great highlights I do remember though...The band played several new songs, beginning with the second song of the night. They asked the crowd if they'd mind hearing some new songs, and of course no one seemed to mind. The new songs were really good, and probably mean a new album is due out soon. At one point toward the beginning of the show the band asked everyone to introduce themselves to their neighbors and give them a hug whilst they played the theme song to Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. I think people enjoyed singing along with this goofy childhood tune as much as they enjoyed hugging the strangers around them- good times! The set was long, about two and a half hours, and included almost all of my favorites, especially Ya Viene El Sol. The night ended with their 'End Samba', which entails all of the band members bringing a percussion instrument or horn down into the crowd and playing right in the middle of the crowd while the crowd chants "O-zo-matli, Ya se fue, Ya se fue". This went on for ages, while the band snaked through the crowd playing their instruments, and then ending up in the lobby of the venue. They also played the classic football chant "Ole, ole ole ole, ole, ole...." and the goofy Hokey Pokey. After the music ended the band stuck around in the lobby to visit with fans and sign autograghs and take pictures. This amazed me. I've never been to a show where the band was so humble and willing to get to know their fans. Even local bands seem to be too cool for school these days, so this totally impressed me.
This was a great show and a great night! Seeing a band for the first time when you only own their cd is always a gamble because you don't know what you'll get. Music can be fantastic on a cd, but not translate well live. I'd say the opposite is true of Ozo. The cd's are good, the live show is amazing. There are ten band members who are all incredibly talented on their respective instruments, and somehow each is highlighted in the live performance and equally shares the spotlight. I think that in itself is a testament to how good their music is. So, go out and buy their cd's and see them live!!!!
Following is the setlist, as best I could piece it together from my notes. Often times my notes are a little hard to read because it's dark in the venue when I'm trying to write, but when I looked at my notes from Saturday night I had to laugh, because they looked like they'd been written in another language!
Setlist:
1. Dos Cosas Ciertas
2. City of Angels - new song
3. ?- new song
4. Eva
5. ?- new song
6. Ya Viene El Sol
7. Street Signs
8. Believe
9. ?
10. ?- new song
11. ?
12. Elevation
13. Cumbia de los Muertos
14. Saturday Night
15. Déjame en Paz
16. Como Ves
17. La Misma Canción
18. End Samba
to do #78: see Ozomatli (and get my ass blogging again!)
