If it were possible, there would be a caption underneath him reading, "Follow the bouncing Rubén ball"...

CAFÉ TACUBA
House of Blues, Los Angeles, 12/02 & 12/03/03

By Désirée I. Guzzetta

Café Tacuba, generally regarded as one of Mexico's finest Roc en español bands, came back to California last week as a special extension of its successful tour behind its latest release, the Grammy-nominated Cuatro Caminos. The four former design students fuse elements of rock, funk, and punk with traditional Mexican rhythms such as ranchera, huapango and son jarocho to create a uniquely layered and rich sound that makes for a transcendent experience, even if you don't understand the band's Spanish lyrics.

As Café Tacuba proved over and over during its two-day stint at the House of Blues, it is one of the best live bands going. Heck, it's one of the best bands in the world, period.

Augmented this tour by drummer Víctor Indrizzio and with a guest appearance by band favorite Alejandro Flores (who fiddled so furiously on the first night that he broke a string or two), the band took the stage to the strains of "Revés" from its experimental double album Revés/YoSoy (Backwards/I Am), firmly taking command of the audience and guiding all through a well-paced set of new songs and old favorites.

The combination of the lush guitars of "Cero Y Uno" and the stuttering rhythms of "EO," both from Cuatro Caminos, got the audience in the pit merrily slam-dancing, and by the time Tacuba launched into its punked-out version of Flans' "No Controles," the audience was whipped into a frenzy--and I have the bruises to prove it!

Cafeta (as the band is affectionately called by its fans) calmed the frenzied crowd with two new songs, the beautiful "Mediodia" and the breathtaking "Eres," then pumped it up again with perennial favorite "La Ingrata" from the group's ground-breaking album Re. Other standouts included "Las Persianas," "El Ciclón," "Esa Noche," "El Baile Y El Salón," "Que Pasará" and "Las Flores."

Also, unlike many bands which are content to rip through their sets playing their songs exactly as they are on the albums, Tacuba instead shakes up its arrangements, such as adding jokey lyrics to "Revés" or slowing a portion of the bouncy "La Chica Banda" down into a funky groove. Café Tacuba is not afraid to take chances, nor is its audience afraid to embrace them, as was the case each night.

In fact, the band clearly loves its audience as much as its audience loves it. Lead singer Rubén Albarrán (currently performing as Élfego Buendía) frequently spoke with the crowd, occasionally answering shouted questions from the audience. One thing I noticed and liked was that the stage banter was different from night to night, but then again, Tacuba is not your typical rock band spouting inanities to keep the crowd pleased.

Another formidable aspect of Tacuba is its stage presence, a combination of assured musicianship and goofy antics. The band just doesn't play songs; it entertains. For example, during "Déjate Caer," the group performed its hilarious boy band dance spoof from the song's video. Buendía even slipped back into his former Gallo Gasss persona, complete with hat topped with a red rooster comb.

Speaking of Gasss/Buendía/Albarrán, who appeared in a pink suit with white tie with his hair a mess of curls, I'm hard-pressed to think of a performer more dynamic and exhilarating than he (well, Bruce Springsteen comes very close!). He's a whirling, impish mass of energy, a seemingly demented sprite hopping and running and skanking all over the stage. If it were possible, there would be a caption underneath him reading "Follow the bouncing Rubén ball" as the devoted crowd sang along with nearly every word he sang.

Café Tacuba doesn't tour the U.S. frequently, so if you get a chance to see them, jump on it! It's more than worth the energy it takes to seek them out and in return, you'll be rewarded with one of the best damn shows around.

To learn more about Café Tacuba, check out the 2LC quickie Tacuba primer or go to the Café Tacuba Official Site

Page last updated: December 09, 2003

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