In 1993, Los Lobos released the compilation album Just Another Band from East L.A. Calling them that would be ridiculous. The multiple-Grammy-winners sold millions of records and became international superstars in the ’80s. They also, of course, scored the 1987 film La Bamba. The soundtrack remains their best-known work more than 30 years later.
What is unassuming about the band is their stage presence. In trying to make sure everyone is having a good time, they address the audience like family. Still, their shows are nothing less than a crash course in music history. Good luck trying to distinguish their Mexican roots from the American ones amid an incredible fusion of rock, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues and traditional music like cumbia, boleros and norteños.
Genre-bending might be the best way to describe the music of Los Lobos, and they show no signs of slowing down, which was obvious to anyone at House of Blues Saturday night. For this tour, the multilingual band is playing two 45-minute sets. They started the show in a semi-acoustic — but by no means stripped-down — format. The first half of the performance featured three guitarists, horns and up to four percussionists playing at once.
Anyone wanting to hear old school rock ‘n’ roll straight out of the ’50s would be hard-pressed to find anything better than Los Lobos playing throwbacks like “Evangeline,” “My Baby’s Gone” and “Don’t Worry Baby.” That stuff really cooks and will knock your socks off, to put it in old-school terms. The band finished their first set with “Set Me Free,” co-written by T-Bone Burnett, who was raised in Fort Worth.
They played “Come On Let’s Go” from Chicano rock star Ritchie Valens. They also touched on some of their best work, particularly “Wicked Rain” from what’s probably their strongest album, 1992’s Kiko. Cinematic and jazzy, the track was the highlight of the night, and it showcased the group’s best songwriting.
Though it’s strange that a band with such a rich catalog of original material would play any covers at all, they offered an inspired take on Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.” Their one misstep was a big one, an interminable jam session of Sublime’s mediocre “Pawn Shop” from 1996. But the audience seemed to enjoy it. Los Lobos ended the night with their biggest hit, their take on Valens’ “La Bamba.”