West Coast Night With The Neighbourhood

Photos Courtesy Of: Adrian Jusue

It never fails that the few occasions when I go to a show, as merely a fan, my writer instinct kicks in and I start itching to get home and write a review. And, that is exactly what happened after attending night one of The Neighbourhood's concert at the Fox Theater in Oakland.

The city of Oakland was lucky enough to be the last stop of El Blanco Tour (the United States part of it), and the band has had such success that the show sold out and they had to add a second night. The band brought along two fantastic opening bands, White Arrows and Bad Suns – both from LA, just like the guys from The Neighbourhood. 

Let's talk about Jesse Rutherford, and his unpredictable choice of outfit – basketball shorts, a band tee, and a leather jacket. While slightly odd, it worked, and two of the other guys follow suit with the ‘shorts' theme of the night.

The concert kicked off with "Female Robbery," Jesse's voice echoed throughout the Fox, and the young crowd of mostly female fans went wild! Shortly before "W.D.Y.W.F.M.?" Jesse addressed the crowd saying that this song was dedicated to all of the ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends – and the fans could not wait to sing along to the tunes of "Maybe you're right, maybe this is all that I can be, but what if it's you, and it wasn't me? What do you want from me? What do you want from me?"

The band also performed "Honest" which served as one of the songs from the Spiderman 2 soundtrack. One of the highlights of the night was when the band performed "West Coast." Jesse once more addressed the crowd, and talked about how, out of all of the tour stops California has been the best with Oakland being the third California city from the tour – the rendition of the song was an acoustic version, which let the lyrics of the song shine through… "I was the one who wasn't coming from where they're coming from. I speak poetically, and never pride my ignorance, but this California shit is rigorous, They say it's happy here, happiness is figurative. I'm happy 'cause of me, doesn't matter where I'm living."

Towards the end of the concert, the band introduced the first single off their new soon-to-be-released-album Black And White – the name of the single is "Dangerous."

The concert could not come to an end without the band's rendition of "Sweater Weather" and the encore being "Afraid." Because, let's face it, what's better than a sold out crowd singing along to "Keep on dreaming, don't stop breathing, fight those demons, sell your soul, not your whole self. If they see you when you're sleeping, make them leave it, and I can't even see if it's all there anymore so…You're too mean, I don't like you, fuck you anyway, you make me wanna scream at the top of my lungs. It hurts, but I won't fight you, you suck anyway, you make me wanna die…"

Seriously, if you don't know about The Neighbourhood, this review is the perfect opportunity for you to get to know them – while the concert was short, it was definitely sweet!

Talented, Beautiful & Beyond Artistic

It had been a little over a year and a half since I last saw both Ximena Sariñana & Julieta Venegas. A lot has changed since they last performed in the Bay. When Ximena last played, she was still working on the material which eventually became her self-titled debut English album, and Julieta Venegas was pregnant and exuding "mommy" glow.

These beautiful and talented Mexican singer-songwriters played a show at the Fox Theater this past Sunday. Ximena opened the show, wearing a remarkably relaxed style which consisted of skinny jeans, Uggs, a plaid shirt and a sweater. Ximena did not need a fancy outfit or excessive makeup, her music did all of the work. She delighted the audience with songs from her English self-titled album, some which included Different, Echo Park and the Spanish song Tu Y Yo and of course she had to sing one of her fans favorite songs, Mediocre. She addressed the audience throughout her whole set and went back and forth between Spanish and English. Her set was a bit shorter than I would have liked, but she made the very best of the short time that she had.

Shortly after Ximena’s set concluded and after a relatively quick stage re-arrangement, Julieta came on stage accompanied by a six member band. Unlike the last time that she played at the Fox Theater, this time around, a skinny Julieta donned the stage wearing a fabulous fringed and long black dress, hair down and styled straight.

She performed for almost two hours alongside her band. From just singing to playing the guitar and the accordion (which has been her staple musical instrument of choice). Some of the songs that were part of Julieta’s repertoire from that night included: Canciones De Amor, Me Voy, Limon Y Sal, Eres Para Mi, Amores Perros, Seria Feliz & La Jaula De Oro. It seemed like the concert went by way too fast, but I was extremely pleased. It does not matter how many times I get to see these talented women perform, it is never the same.

Do not forget to check out Ximena’s latest CD, if you have enjoyed her Spanish music, her English album will not let you down.


Credits: Another Planet Entertainment 

Parceros Together Under One Roof

Photo courtesy of Mauricio Gonzalez-Valois

There is something so delightful about attending a concert and feeling the great vibes from those present and also be pleasantly surprised at the humbleness of the artist performing.

I attended Juanes’ concert this past weekend for the “Parce Tour." It was in San Francisco at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium where Juanes’ fans from all different ethnicities gathered for this amazing show.

I patiently took my seat and became drawn to the stage; I could see a guy piling up small screens which showed faces from what I assumed were fans of Juanes. As I paid close attention (I am blind) I noticed that the guy was part of the screen and it was actually a video. 

The time came for the show to start and Spanish singer Antonio Orozco was in charge of opening the show. He played a short but harmonious acoustic set and which was well received by the audience.
 
When Juanes came on stage the crowd went wild! Colombian flags were waving all across the auditorium, fans screaming anxious to hear him sing. He opened the show with the song Yerbatero from his latest CD. He also sang classics from previous albums such as La Paga, Hoy Me Voy, La Vida Es Un Ratico, Para Tu Amor, La Camisa Negra, Mala Grente and so many other amazing songs from his repertoire. 

Photo Courtesy of Mauricio Gonzalez-Valois

Juanes took the time to address his fans and thank them for attending the show. He was humble and appreciative of all the people who love and relate to his music. He was especially excited to be in San Francisco since that amazing city gave birth to the song Fotografia (which features Nelly Furtado.) He also introduced the members of his band who have been with him from the very beginning of his solo career.

Right before the performance of the song Odio Por Amor, he addressed the disaster that happened in Japan and his heartfelt words echoed among all the attendees.

He closed out the concert with an encore of not one or two but fours songs. At the end of the concert he brought out his cell phone and recorded the crowd cheering for him which he later posted on twitter.

I was extremely pleased with the show, more artists should take notes from him. We have Juanes el “parcero” for a very long time. 





Credits: Rogers & Cowan / Another Planet Entertainment

Julieta Venegas Lights Up the Fox Theater

Julieta Venegas came on stage and there was something different about her, there was no famous accordion on sight, such was replaced by a pregnant belly. It was perhaps the “mommy” glow that Julieta Venegas displayed but there was something magical in the air and all the attendees knew that it was going to be a great show. The place to witness this magic was Another Planet Entertainment sponsored Fox Theater in Oakland.
The artist in charge of opening for the night was none other than Ceci Bastida, who like Venegas led the Mexican Band Tijuana NO. Bastida has been collaborating with Venegas since she sang back-up on several albums since 2000. It was only obvious that there was no other singer better suited to join Julieta Venegas in her series of concerts than Ceci Bastida also expect her in Lilith Fair, which will be coming to the Bay Area in July.
The anticipation for Venegas to set the stage was quickly rising until the spotlight captured the essence of her presence, wearing a simple cotton dress with ruffles and her hair up in a bun she was ready to delight her fans with a simply breath taking performance.  Her repertoire consisted of older songs such as, Seria Feliz from her 2000 album Bueninvento, De Mis Pasos, Limon Y Sal & Me Voy from her 2006 Limon Y Sal album. She also performed songs from her latest album titled Otra Cosa, one of such songs was Debajo De Mi Lengua.
Julieta Venegas definitely left her fans wanting more, due to her pregnancy, the show only lasted about an hour and a half, but it was absolutely an amazing show. She is definitely one of the most re-known female rockers deriving from Mexico. Expressing her political views she encouraged her fellow Mexican fans to show those who oppose immigration that Mexico is a country of vivid culture which has given birth to legendary icons, which was in the wake of the controversial new law in Arizona.
We will wait and see what she comes up with after she becomes a mom, in the meantime, pick up her new album “Otra Cosa.” The album is available in CD and digital version. For more information about Julieta Venegas or Ceci Bastida, check out their myspace, facebook & twitter and also their official websites:  www.julietavenegas.net or www.myspace.com/julietavenegas.