I won tickets from
Nacional Records to see
Aterciopelados at a Bacardi sponsored festival on Olvera street. We were the only Gringos in the audience, but I've been to so many Latin Music Festivals that I feel like I totally fit in.
Aterciopelados were good. Then we saw Maldita Vecinidad, which look like they were transported to downtown Los Angeles from 1995. They have the sound of
Sugar Ray with the style of The Cherry Poppin' Daddies. I didn't dig it that much.
Then
Calle 13 (trece) performed. I knew that they were reggaeton, which is something I tend to despise. I thought they were the band that has a chorus that is the ringtone from an old model Nokia. It turns out that they aren't that group. (It's Kumbia Kings, they have a promotions deal with Burger King
en serio.)
Calle 13 performs with a full band that looks out of place together. They have a Jewish Hipster looking Trombonist, Afro-Cuban Percussionists, a Vincent Gallo look-alike on synths, a cute M.I.A. looking backup singer, and the lead singer has all sorts of designs in his hair. Half the band wasn't wearing a shirt.
I have to say, I expected to hate this band, but they put on an excellent show. I unironically love Calle 13. There is hope for Reggaeton.
Also the MC for the festival was trying to kill time so he was like: Where are all my Virgos at? Where are all my Aries at? Where are all my Cancers at? Where are all my people affected by Cancer at? Where are all my people affected by the tragedies of March 3, 2011 at? Demasiado Temprano?
Too soon?A homeless man came up to me asking for a Bacon-wrapped hot dog. He said that the pickings were slim because Latino crowds don't tend to give money to the homeless? He used a racist word. Is he being racist, or is he just doing market research. MARKET RESEARCH FROM THE STREETS SON!
