When Cafe Tacuba invited members of the audience to join them on stage at the Beaumont Club on Saturday the gesture seemed entirely superfluous. The evening's most engaging action was provided by the crowd.
A joyous riot accompanied Cafe Tacuba's two-hour performance. Frenzied pogo-ing and good-natured slam-dancing shook the floor. Beverages sprayed like fountains. Flags waved. Synchronized chants threatened to drown out the band.
Cafe Tacuba merely provided the soundtrack for the party. And it's a good thing- while they were entirely entertaining, the Mexican group was unable to fully replicate the sonic brilliance of their recordings.
Since its inception nearly 20 years ago, Cafe Tacuba has become one of the most acclaimed rock en Espanol acts. Much like Radiohead and Wilco, Cafe Tacuba's catalog has evolved and grown increasingly ambitious and artistically challenging.
The night's highs and lows were encapsulated in Cafe Tacuba's rendition of "Volver a Comenzar." The song is up for "Alternative Song of the Year" at Thursday's Latin Grammy Awards -- one of seven nominations the band received.
The crowd greeted "Volver a Comenzar"'s Cure-like opening strains with cheers and happily sang along with its initial verses. But interest waned when the band was unable to sustain tension during the song's psychedelic segments.
That disconnect was repeated throughout the night. The experimental and often majestic material heard to great effect on recordings just didn't translate inside the Beaumont Club.
Consequently, Cafe Tacuba wisely spent most of their set splitting the difference between accessible and arty. Their most straightforward material- such as the lovely "Eres" and the manic "Ingrata"- were delivered with precision.
State-of-the-art pop like "Vamonos"-- a selection that would make fans of Peter Bjorn & John squeal with delight -- also succeeded. Only the band's insistence on singing solely in Spanish can explain why the audience of approximately 750 were almost exclusively of Latino heritage.
Cafe Tacuba certainly don't lack charisma. Even so, delightfully demonstrative front man Ruben Albarran was no match for his fans. They were the true stars of the memorable evening.
| BIll Brownlee, Special to The Star
Any word on the words of Henry Rollins the night before at the Beaumont?
Posted by: Pat | November 09, 2008 at 04:19 PM
If you like a party like that...
you should have been there for the Dropkick Murphys..
they do the invite people on stage too..and it was an out of control party..
DKM RULE
PS
the DKMs will be in Des Moines, and Columbia in the next few weeks.
PPS
Is there a worse venue to see a show, than the beaumaont?..is the stage is WAY to low..or is the floor way too high?
Posted by: what up | November 09, 2008 at 09:20 PM