The unassuming members of the Gipsy Kings were outshone by their audience Friday night at the Uptown Theater.
Fans danced and clapped along with a grace and complexity rarely witnessed at concerts in Kansas City. More than once women jumped on stage to demonstrate their enthusiasm for the France-based Gitano ensemble. As the musicians tuned guitars between each song, requests and encouragement were shouted in a multitude of European and Latin- American accents.
While they may have been less-animated than much of the audience of about 800, the Gipsy Kings were never less than engaging. A few selections flirted with overly polite world music, but they largely adhered to the crossover flamenco sound that's made them international stars in their 25-year career. Predictably, the band's most popular songs -- "Bamboleo," "Djobi Djoba," "Baila Me" and "Volare" -- provided the evening's most transcendent moments.
The band alternated lead vocals and guitar solos. All were exquisite, but the Gipsy Kings are strongest when Nicolas Reyes sings. One of the most gifted and immediately distinctive voices in popular music, Reyes was particularly impressive during spectacular vocal runs on the gorgeous ballad "Un Amor."
The group's six guitarists were complemented by two percussionists, a bassist and a keyboardist whose insistence on mimicking accordions, Andean pipes and trumpets was slightly incongruous. Use of the actual instruments would have been better.
Not including a brief intermission, the Gipsy Kings performed for an hour and forty minutes. It seemed wholly inadequate. Many favorites -- including their epic version of "Hotel California" -- were omitted. If the fans had their way -- and they certainly deserved it -- the Gipsy Kings would have played until dawn.
|Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star
Do you have the set list for this performance?
Posted by: Lisa | March 15, 2008 at 07:44 PM