Salty and I took off after work last night for Tucson, through a rocking thunderstorm — which if you’ve never experienced in the desert, it is quite a rare treat — for dinner and a concert. While the rain left us both turned around and late, we headed for a cafe counter for a quick meal and slid into the Rialto just in time to see LifeSavas and OzoMatli.
Holy moly.
I’m fairly new to the Ozomatli fan club but last night I signed my name in blood. I have rarely seen such an amazingly talented group of musicians pour so much energy into a show. There were maybe 8-10 members on the stage playing a variety of instruments — clarinet, saxophone, keyboard, guitar, drums, bongos, maracas, tambourine and in a move Will Ferrell would have loved — I’m pretty sure I even saw a cowbell. Not only did they use these instruments to get the entire floor bouncing and dancing like mad, but then they’d switch. Members switched instruments mid-song, each took a turn at singing, they danced and they were so worth the drive and the crazy headache from lack of sleep this morning.
Yeow! I loved it. Plus, the crowd was as eclectic as the music. There were people of all ages — children to retirees — and of all races. This sort of diversity is rarely seen in Arizona, so I was celebrating that as much as the tunes. I can’t wait to see them again. Five stars, absoloodle.
~K
P.S. Yes, we did nearly die of laughter once we realized Modest Mouse (a fave) is playing tonight and we were there last night. We must have missed that memo. I think Adam is considering making it double Tucson show run for the week.