Rodrigo y Gabriela Concert Review, Summerfest

Mike — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:46:47 +0000

(Video and tour dates included) Rodrigo y Gabriela is elusive. They don’t tour the States often, spending most of their time overseas. So when the opportunity presented itself to take a 90-mile drive to Milwaukee to go see them, it was an easy decision. Past Six Flags Great America, past the Mars Cheese Castle, the porn shop and the fireworks stands, and $15 later, five Sound Citizens were standing on bleachers, four rows from center stage.

For those of you who do not yet know Rodrigo y Gabriela (Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero), the short version goes like this: They met in a thrash metal band in Mexico City, made their way to Grafton Street in Ireland and got discovered by Damien Rice. But somewhere along the way they morphed into world-class musicians, blending metal with classical Spanish guitar, resulting in a self-titled album that entered the Irish album charts at #1. From there they got stronger. And they continue to develop, which is one of the exciting parts of seeing them live – you get the sense that they’re growing before your eyes and ears.

I could attempt to explain their style, but I wouldn’t do it justice. I’ll just say this: it’s something you will have a hard time not being mesmerized by. Watch the video and you’ll see.

Rodrigo y Gabriela is also inspiring, evidenced by crowd. While it was mixed, it was decidedly a young group. While unexpected, I’m more than pleased that so many young people are so excited about this style of music. Hopefully, this show will go a long way to spawning a new generation of worldly musicians.

We didn’t buy tickets two months in advance, we didn’t wait in line and we didn’t have to stand behind thousands of people. It doesn’t seem fair. Thankfully, life isn’t always fair.

Rodrigo y Gabriela will release their latest album “11:11″ on September 7, 2009. They will also go on tour. Although the majority of their shows are in Europe, they will play five dates in the U.S. Tour dates are at the bottom of this post, and tickets are available through the Rodrigo y Gabriela website.

Below are two videos. The first is a compilation of various songs throughout the show, including “Orion,” “Diablo Rojo” and “Tamacun.” The second video is a clip of Rodrigo playing some “Master of Puppets” and demonstrating a new sound he’s been working on – acoustic wa-wa. Pay attention to the screen behind them. It’s live video from small cameras mounted in front of them and on Rodrigo’s guitar. If it’s a little shaky, that’s because people (like me) were dancing on the bleachers.

Enjoy.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jul 4 2009	8:00P	Rock Werchter (Main stage)	Werchter, Belgium
Jul 5 2009	8:00P	Eurockeennes (Main stage)	Belfort, France
Jul 15 2009	8:00P	Jazz Festival	Gent, Belgium
Jul 17 2009	8:00P	Festival Les Suds (Old Arena)	Arles, France
Jul 19 2009	8:00P	Lovebox ( 2nd stage), Victoria Park, Hackney	London, UK
Jul 21 2009	8:00P	Blue Balls Festival	Lucerne, Switzerland
Jul 23 2009	8:00P	Paleo Festival (Chapiteau Stage)	Nyon, Switzerland
Jul 24 2009	8:00P	Les 3 Elephants Festival (Main Stage)	Laval, France
Jul 26 2009	8:00P	Secret Garden Party (Main stage)	Cambridge, UK
Jul 28 2009	8:00P	Dolans Warehouse	Limerick, Ireland
Jul 29 2009	8:00P	School of Music	Cork, Ireland
Aug 1 2009	8:00P	Presqu’ile de Crozon Festival	Crozon, France
Sep 4 2009	8:00P	Electric Picnic Festival, Stradbally	Laois, Ireland
Sep 16 2009	8:00P	Terminal 5	NY, New York
Sep 19 2009	8:00P	Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre	Denver, Colorado
Sep 21 2009	8:00P	Moore Theatre	Seattle, Washington
Sep 23 2009	8:00P	Fox Theatre	Oakland, California
Sep 25 2009	8:00P	Orpheum Theatre	Los Angeles, California

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Rodrigo y Gabriela Concert Review, Summerfest