It took me 3 hours to get from Santa Barbara to the Hollywood Bowl (no more than 85 miles!). I was really worried I’d miss part of the concert and was asking mi tía Macaria* to work her magic. Either LA traffic on the 101 was really good for a Sunday afternoon, or la tía Macaria came through. Even though there was a lot of traffic in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, once I got in to LA County, I was speeding along at 70-75 mph all the way to the Hollywood Bowl. Either traffic was just good, or la tía Macaria’s magic came through.

I met up with Ralph at Hollywood and Highland shuttle stop to the Bowl. We got to our seats before the opening act, Groove Armada, even began. Some wine helped calm my nerves and get me back in the right mood to enjoy Café Tacuba.

It had been 2 years since I last saw Café Tacuba perform, way too long in my book. The show was well worth the 3 hour drive and traffic. The band was dressed all in white and black. Rubén Albarán, the lead singer, wore a white suit and black t-shirt. He had his mid-length hair in two braids and wore a large white bowler hat with eyeholes cut out so he could see.

I was on my show the whole way through, but most of the people up front were sitting down. Rubén made fun of them for sitting down, but they probably didn’t know it as most of the people in the box seats probably weren’t the big fans and didn’t speak Spanish. All the cheers and dancing were in the cheaper seats at the back of the Bowl. I remember Rubén mentioning that he felt bad because he couldn’t address the audience in English. I yelled out that he shouldn’t care, he should just speak Spanish since we were in LA, after all.

Café Tacuba played from about 8:45 to 10 p.m. (including their 4-song encore).

The setlist:

1. No Controles
2. Cero y Uno
3. Las Flores (my favorite!)
4. Mediodía
5. New song (it was the same song I posted here a few weeks ago. They mentioned the name, but I didn’t hear it. I’ll post videos of the two new songs on YouTube)
6. La Ingrata
7. Chilanga Banda
8. La Chica Banda
9. Déjate Caer

Encore

10. Eres
11. El Baile y el Salón
12. New song (not sure if they mentioned the name or not)
13. Como Te Extraño Mi Amor

I only have one criticism: the shows are pretty predictable. I’ve seen Café Tacuba enough times to know that they’ll end their show and then come out for a four song encore. I also knew that the encore would include their cover of Leo Dan’s classic, Como Te Extraño Mi Amor.

Overall, I’m glad I made it. I need my Café Tacuba fix. The summer just doesn’t feel right without them.

*La tía Macaria is a great-great aunt on Mamá Toni’s side. Supposedly, she was a very pious, generous and saintly woman. My mom is a big fan of tía Macaria, which is the reason we often ask for her help in tough situations . These days, we ask “las ánimas de mi tía Macaria” for everything from a good outcome from a surgery to clearing up traffic so I can make a very important concert! She doesn’t help much when it comes to sports, or else the Dodgers would be winning the pennant — or at least a playoff game — every year.