"I'll bet they open with 'Dream in Blue'," I told my wife as I left for the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on Friday night. "I'm calling 'Wake Up Delores' for Song 2," I announced to a buddy as we leaned up against the stage barricade, waiting for Los Lobos to begin. Moments later, both predictions came true.
You didn't need psychic abilities to lay out the Latin roots-rockers' set in advance of their arrival onstage. You just had to own a well-worn copy of Kiko, the band's 1992 masterpiece and the album they chose to resurrect—in total, 16-track sequence—for six lucky West Coast audiences this winter.
The giant smile that never left bassist Conrad Lozano's face succinctly told the night's story, of a band thrilled by the chance to reach deep into its vault and dig out tunes its six musicians hadn't performed, in some cases, for a decade or longer. "That song's too short," vocalist-guitarist David Hidalgo remarked following "Whiskey Trail," sorry to see one of the show's many tight jams end.
Even a criminally undersized audience of around 600—shameful for any Friday night, to say nothing of New Year's weekend—did nothing to lessen the musical impact, as those who did attend made their presence felt loudly and enthusiastically.
From the delicate harp atop "Saint Behind the Glass" (courtesy of guest Sergio Alonzo) to Steve Berlin's steam-train sax intro for "Reva's House"; from Hidalgo's epic solo closing "Just a Man" to Cesar Rojas' Hendrix-esque guitar work throughout "Peace," Los Lobos unveiled the trove of goodies that makes Kiko one of rock's enduring classics. Members of Bay Area mariachi band Los Cenzontles even joined in for the set-capping "Rio de Tenampa," the only tune on Kiko featuring Spanish vocals.
Hidalgo was in peak form, showing off a flexible voice and a waste-no-note guitar approach that once made him odds-on favorite to succeed Jerry Garcia in the Grateful Dead. Rojas, eyes covered by his trademark sunglasses, also made a lasting impression, particularly when he stepped to the foot of the stage to sing a pair of Mexican anthems, "Carabina 30-30" and "Volver, Volver," during the encore.
That extra session, which also included a traditional rendition of "La Bamba," only made us yearn for a second full set comprised of non-Kiko material, the only element that could have made a memorable show better.