Los Lobos
Rhythm City, Davenport, Iowa • May 3, 2024
by Jeremy Glazier
On a weekend that saw the legendary Los Lobos hit the three-year anniversary of the Grammy award-winning album Native Sons and the 20th Anniversary of the album The Ride, they dropped by Eastern Iowa to give their fans a masterclass in musicianship in the form of a Friday night concert. The band, which celebrates their 50th anniversary since forming in East LA in 1973, are musically as tight as they ever have been, and the depth of their catalog spans every influence from both sides of the border that permeates their signature sound. Since first finding them in ‘87 with their versions of classic Chicano artist Ritchie Valens’ songs for the movie La Bamba, their 1988 Grammy award-winning album La Pistola y El Corazon, and every album since, I have been hooked on the magic they create, and this concert is a true bucket list event.
They open with their 1989 classic “Will The Wolf Survive?,” a pair of Native Sons covers with “Love Special Delivery” from Thee Midniters and “Flat Top Joint” from The Blasters, “Chuco’s Cumbia,” and “Come On, Let’s Go,” from the aforementioned Ritchie Valens. They perform a mix of my personal favorites with “Emily,” “Angel Dance,” and the 1970 Allman Brothers classic “Don’t Keep Me Wondering,” before the almost necessary “The Neighborhood” and “Kiko and the Lavender Moon.”
Before the next song, the left-handed guitarist Cesar Rojas takes a moment to ask if the audience likes polka music, which, for some weird reason, Iowans do, and the band tears into the incredibly under-appreciated music of Flaco Jiménez with “Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio.” While the audience is still up on their feet, they perform yet another classic song with Vicente Fernández’s “Volver, Volver.” They conclude the main setlist with “I Got Loaded,” “Don’t Worry Baby,” and “Mas y Mas” before the encore, which consists of the Neil Young & Crazy Horse tune “Cinnamon Girl,” and closing the evening with “La Bamba,” with a little bit of The Rascals’ 1966 hit “Good Lovin’” mixed in for good measure.
Los Lobos is made up of David Hidalgo on guitar, accordion, and vocals, Cesar Rojas on guitar and vocals, Steve Berlin on keys and horns, Louie Perez, Jr. on percussion and guitar, Conrad Lozano on bass, and Alfredo Ortiz on drums. They are currently scheduled to tour through January 2025, as they continue to celebrate their 50th Anniversary. Visit their website for exciting updates as they continue the legacy of creating music that makes a statement, is from the heart, and will last for generations to come.
