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.
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