Los Yesterdays at Levitt Pavilion, 7-14-23: Photos

It was about time that I saw Los Yesterdays in concert. I’ve been enjoying the work of these musicians for more than twenty years, starting at the time of The Peak Show and Bad Vic & The Good Intentions, and moving through the many groups they’ve had since then, including Cactys Fire. This new group features soulful grooves and vibes, music that reaches back in time in ways while still having a strong contemporary appeal. Songs of heartache will always speak to us, won’t they? And Michelle Rangel (from Go Betty Go) was on bass. So there was a whole lot of experience and a whole lot of talent on the stage last night. And the crowd responded. These were folks who knew the songs, and were also eager to hear new material, exactly my kind of crowd, the sort of people I want around me at a concert. Yeah, one guy near the front professed his love for the band a tad too much and too forcibly, and security gently escorted him away from the stage, but there was no trouble. Vic mentioned that a full-length album is in the works, which is excellent news. Jackie Mendez joined the band on vocals for a few songs, including one of her own. Apparently, there was a hard end time of 10 o’ clock, and Vic wondered aloud if there was time for another song. At that point it was 9:59 p.m. There was a guy at the side of the stage frantically and emphatically signally no, that there was not time. And it was a good thing that Vic did not see him (or ignored him), for the final song brought everyone together, and scores of phones went up to capture the moment. The video for “Nobody’s Clown” has gotten more than ten million views, which is wild. So glad that good music is being heard and appreciated.

Here are some photos from the show:

 

 

The show was part of a free summer concert series at Levitt Pavilion, located in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. It’s in a nice corner of the park, away from the bird poo and human pee. Just be aware, if you are planning on attending concerts in this series, that the bathrooms are not unlocked until 6 p.m. So if you get there early, as we did, be prepared to wait a bit. The show was scheduled to start at 7, but the opening band, Thee Illusions, did not go on until around 7:45. This is the sixteenth year of free summer concerts at this venue.