Rodrigo y Gabriela Concert Review

First off....new poll------------------------------------------------------->

Last night, some friends and I attended the Rodrigo y Gabriela concert at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. I'm kind of hot and cold on the EF as a venue. Alcohol is too expensive, but the upstairs is nice. Unfortunately if you are under 21 you cannot enter the upstairs, which is a shame. As far as sound quality, there's only one place to be and that's directly in front of the stage.

The crowd was docile going in; a mixed crowd of all ages. Actually I have to say that it was probably the most diverse crowd I've ever seen at a show. The show didn't sell out in the slightest, which surprises me because these two are Philly favorites thanks to 88.5 WXPN. That's not to say the attendees weren't enthused either. These were diehard fans.

The Alex Skolnick Trio opened. Too mellow for that big venue. Their instrumental acid jazz would have been better suited to a small club. Everyone milled around and barely afforded minor applause. They were there for something else.

On to the main act. Rodrigo y Gabriela are and acoustic guitar duo from Mexico. They started off in the heavy metal scene in the nineties, but quit that to play acoustic heavy-metal inspired flamenco music. They weren't trying to be successful but their current manager asked them to go on a tour of Ireland and they took off from there.
As soon as RodGab took the stage the crowd went nuts. Gabriela pounded the guitar rythmically and hypnotically, edifying Rodrigo's lead picking. Many were dancing and dont get me wrong, I love to see people dance at a concert and I will often break into dance myself, but this was ridiculous. The several in front of us were spastic, elliciting Elaine comparisons.
Highlights:
A trained ear or a fan could catch, throughout the night, Metallica songs peppered into the flamenco stylings. It was a nice treat.
The duo only plays instrumental and never sings, but the crowd is the vocalist as in a performance of Wish You Were Here.
The audience participation is off the charts, with intricate clapping sessions backed by Gabriela's thump-strum.
Rodrigo switched his guitar into electric for a couple of passages that was so seamless that it could hardly be noticed.
The requisite closing of the show with their cover of Stairway of Heaven, which, done by ANYONE else would be hokey, but with RodGab, you see why the song is delicate and sweet, which Led Zeppelin could never accomplish.

This was my second Rodrigo y Gabriela show and I won't be missing another.

Proof! Tamacun!


Spastically Dancing,
'thew

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LINKS
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- Was warrentless wiretapping in place before 9/11?
- Crazy smart dog.
- Shopped?
- That makes sense...
- Haha Jim sent me this on my birthday...wait for the sound.
- Everyone loves Bill-O. And Anne Coulter. Seriously? People think she's hot?!
- That's hot.
- Creepy and Beautiful.
- So neat... We're actually looking back through time.
- AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
- More evidence for Monday's post that Tuesday is, truly, a bitch.
- Here are some links on the disgusting phenomenon known as Blowouts, or Jersey Guidos(NSFW sound). I still can't believe that exists. (oh, that last link was obviously a lampoon.)
- This is amazing.
- Heehee.

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MUSIC
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The Original!