Greg <3 Ozomatli in Boulder
This was a combination friend concert and cultural event: for Nikki's work she put out a newsletter with "Ozomatli coming soon" as a footer item and a friend picked up on that and got 9 of us to commit to going. It was pretty awesome. 7 of us had a pre-concert-dinner at Chez Thuy while the other 2 (one with a torn ACL which necessitated the bench seating) saved space right in close near the stage.
The gang of 7 missed the opening act - Deleon - though the 2 folks who saw it said it was pretty high quality.
My knowledge of Ozomatli is largely based on two albums: the 6 song sampler Coming Up and the awesome Live at the Fillmore. Live at the Fillmore is the album that made me really want to see them live for myself. Their energy comes through in that live album - fortunately this concert didn't disappoint. In addition to their rocking music their dancing and stage antics really got the crowd pumped. I expected a lot of upbeat songs, followed by their somber yet inspiring Cuando Canto, followed by a couple crowd pleasers and the finale. Sadly, Cuando Canto was left out, but the set was still a pretty solid mix of songs.
The energy level and range of instruments reminded me of the P-Funk All Stars shows that I've seen, though Ozomatli's set was shorter and had a more consistently high energy level.
Chali 2na, a founding member of Ozomatli and a very crisp rapper was present for this show which almost certainly expanded the range of songs they could do - without him several of the songs would be sadly lacking.
A group of folks from Voto Latino out front helped remind us that Ozomatli is not just about music but also about social justice which has particularly poignancy here a few days before the election. Ironically, Boulder is about as white of a town as you can find and while the crowd was certainly filled with "liberal-minded" voters I'm not sure how much overlap there is between the Boulder lifestyle and "social justice."
Nonetheless, I went to have fun and Boulder is a fun town that was elevated to new heights by an enormously fun and inspiring performance from Ozomatli.
The Fox Theater is a decent venue, though I'd personally be happier if they had fewer macrobrews and more local beers. A $4.50 PBR is a crime, especially when the delicious local beers were only $4.75.