Rodrigo y Gabriela have struck gold where many other musicians have struck out. Combining musical styles – in this case, metal and classical Spanish-style guitar – and performing entire sets and albums without one single lyric. In doing so, they not only have amassed a following, but a fervent one. Such was evident at their sold-out performance last Friday at Chicago’s Riviera Theater.

Here’s a sign that you’re doing it right: A check on craigslist for tickets weeks prior to the concert showed a massive disproportion. There were dozens of postings from people desperately looking for tickets to the show – just one posting actually selling tickets. Did ticket brokers miss the boat? Possibly. More likely, Rod Gab fans anticipated their arrival very early and made sure they scored tickets. And once they had them, they weren’t letting them go. That’s refreshing.

On to the show. We won’t spend a lot of time here talking about the magic of Rodrigo y Gabriela. If you’re not yet familiar, read this post from our review of a Rodrigo y Gabriela concert in Milwaukee. Besides, all you need to do is watch a little video – you won’t need convincing from me.

The highlight of the night (and one of this year’s best concert moments) came as a stunning surprise. Between songs, Rodrigo teased the audience about a special guest, then introduced Rob Trujillo – bass player for Metallica. It turned into perfect synergy (well, almost perfect – you’ll see) between the two styles of music represented by Rod Gab – their mind-blowing classical chops fused with their metal influences and inspiration while they jam Metallica’s “Orion.” It was the icing on an already sinfully outstanding cake. And the fans … let’s just say you can expect to hear them loud and clear as the music grapevine grows. Check out the crowd reaction at the end of the video “Part 2″ and you’ll understand.

Enjoy the video below. It’s excellent and comes courtesy of TP1134. Below that are two more videos shot by Sound Citizen, if you want more Trujillo. Also, check out TP1134’s account for more of the concert from an excellent vantage point. An outstanding job.

Only three dates remain on their U.S. tour schedule: Oct. 20 in Austin, TX, Oct. 22 in Philadelphia, Oct. 23 in Boston and Oct. 24 in Baltimore. If they’re coming through your area, you’d be an irresponsible Sound Citizen not to go. No excuses. Overseas? Check out more tour dates below the videos.

26-Oct-09	Teatro Metropólitan	México, Mexico
11-Nov-09	La Carriere	Nantes, France
12-Nov-09	Casino de Paris – SOLD OUT	Paris, France
13-Nov-09	Aeronef	Lille, France
15-Nov-09	Vicar Street	Dublin, Ireland
16-Nov-09	Olympia Theatre – Sold Out	Dublin, Ireland
18-Nov-09	Les Docks – SOLD OUT	Lausanne, Switzerland
20-Nov-09	Ancienne Belgique – SOLD OUT	Brussels, Belgium
21-Nov-09	Watt	Rotterdam, Holland
23-Nov-09	HMV Hammersmith Apollo	London, United Kingdom
24-Nov-09	O2 Academy, Birmingham	Birmingham, United Kingdom
26-Nov-09	O2 Academy Glasgow	Glasgow, United Kingdom
28-Nov-09	Manchester Apollo	Manchester, United Kingdom
29-Nov-09	Colston Hall	Bristol, United Kingdom
3-Dec-09	Alcatraz	Milan, Italy
30-Dec-09	Falls Festival Marion Bay	Marion Bay, Australia
31-Dec-09	Falls Festival Lorne, VIC	Lorne, Australia
3-Jan-10	Enmore Theatre	Sydney, Australia
5-Jan-10	Palais Theatre	St. Kilda, Australia
6-Jan-10	Sunset Sounds Festival	Brisbane, Australia
8-Jan-10	Southbound Festival	Busselton, Australia
11-Jan-10	Aotea Center	Auckland, New Zealand
14-Jan-10	ZEPP	Tokyo, Japan
15-Jan-10	CLUB Diamond Hall	Nagoya, Japan
16-Jan-10	IMP HALL	Osaka, Japan
18-Jan-10	TOKYO	Tokyo, Japan
10-Apr-10	Olympia Theatre	Paris, France
11-Apr-10	Olympia Theatre	Paris, France

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