[ATTENDED: December 15, 2021] Chicano Batman [rescheduled from May 3, 2020 and June 16, 2021]
I’ve enjoyed a bunch of Chicano Batman songs over the last few years. When I saw the Tiny Desk concert, they seemed so cool, that I really wanted to see them live.
This show was postponed twice. I waited until a couple of weeks before the show to get tickets, and I had no idea it would be my last show before COVID struck again.
The band started in a delightful way. The (new) keyboardist came out first followed by their (absolutely insane) drummer Gabriel Villa. The keyboardist started hitting a cowbell and Villa laid down a funky beat while bassist Eduardo Arenas and guitarist Carlos Arévalo came out to rapturous applause. Moments later, singer Bardo Martinez came on stage in an Adidas tracksuit.
The band used to dress in full matching suits, so this was a bit of a surprise. I was also surprised at how mellow and low key Martinez was. I would almost say he wasn’t into the show, but he definitely was. I guess he’s just a low-key kind of guy.
I had moved away from the center of the stage because a bunch of people wouldn’t leave their masks on. I wound up in front of Arévalo who was a lot of fun to watch (his solo during “Color My Life” was awesome). But to me, Chicano Batman is all about the bass lines. Arenas lays down great lines and his sound was fantastic.
It was amusing to hear the crowd sing along so loudly to everything. There was one woman near me who was so far out of tune she may have been at a different show–and wow did she sing loudly. But she was having a really good time with her friends, so it made me smile too.
By the time they got to “Freedom is Free” (I was surprised that they payed it so early) Martinez was clearly enjoying himself–pointing out people in the crowd, smiling and jumping around.
He took off his Adidas jacket and sang the rest of the set in a T-shirt. I really enjoyed “Manuel’s Story” (in fact I liked most of the songs from the new album).
Midway through the set they jumped back to their debut album which feels far more traditional and less neo-psychedelic. The songs were also in Spanish and for “La manzanita” bassist Arenas took over lead guitar and lead vocals. The crowd sang along at the to of their lungs. They even played a particularly weird early song “It’s a Balloon.”
And when the song was over, every band member played a solo. Up first was the new keyboardist who played a wild 70’s sounding prog rock keyboard solo. Then Arenas and Villa had a groove going on until Villa took over and played a lengthy and fairly complicated drum solo (he has a lt of gear to hit).
I absolutely love the new song “Pink Elephant” for the great, peculiar guitar riff and the way the rest of the band seems to be playing a different song and yet somehow they all fit together perfectly. It goes wonderfully with “Polymetronomic Harmony.”
I really enjoyed when Martinez would run over and play his keyboard–it often seemed like a last minute decision that he had to catch up at the last second to play it–but he played such a great retro keyboard sound. Then later in the set he played a ripping guitar solo (totally unexpected).
I wound up enjoying the show quite a lot even if it wasn’t what I was expecting (and they didn’t play “Friendship (Is a Boat in a Storm).”
I really liked their merch too, especially the design on their sweatshirt, but I didn’t want a sweatshirt so I got their other T-shirt instead.
- Dark Star ♦
- Cycles of Existential Rhyme §
- Color My Life Ω
- Jealousy ≅
- Moment of Joy Ω
- Freedom Is Free ≅
- Manuel’s Story Ω
- Invisible People Ω
- Itotiani ©
- La manzanita ©
- It’s a Balloon ©
- The Prophet Ω
- Pastel Sunrise ♦
- Pink Elephant Ω
- Polymetronomic Harmony Ω
- La jura ≅
- Run ≅
- Black Lipstick ß
encore - Wounds Ω
- Magma §
♦ Dark Star/Pastel Sunrise (single) (2021)
Ω Invisible People (2020)
ß Black Lipstick (single) (2019)
≅ Freedom is Free (2017)
§ Cycles of Existential Rhyme (2014)
© Chicano Batman (2010)
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