More than just 'La Bamba': Los Lobos brings Latin-flavored rock show to town
Tom Szaroleta
Los Lobos flirted with big-time success in 1987, when their version of "La Bamba" went to the top of the charts around the world.
Thirteen studio albums, four live albums and three greatest hits packages later, they've never come close to that sort of popularity again. And that's OK, said sax player Steve Berlin.
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"Our biggest hit was something that was something of a shock to us," said Berlin. "We couldn't believe it was happening when it was happening. But when it was done, it was very done and we were exactly where we began."
Exactly where they began isn't such a bad place to be. The band has had the same lineup of musicians since 1983, when Berlin joined up after producing the band's first major-label album. "I guess we like what we do, so that helps," he said.
They've earned three Grammy Awards and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination and has been playing about a hundred shows every year for decades. They'll be at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall on Sunday.
You might have seen them on TV, closing this year's Rose Parade on New Year's Day (playing "La Bamba," of course). Berlin said that was a thrill, even though he had to get up at 4 a.m. and they didn't warn him in advance that there would be no bathroom breaks or that the moving float had no safety nets. Still, an estimated 54 million people watched the performance.
Los Lobos has a huge selection of songs in its repertoire — many of which are sung in Spanish — so picking which ones to play on every given night can be a challenge, Berlin said. Some nights they go on stage with a preplanned setlist, some nights they'll just wing it, agreeing on the opening number in advance and letting guitarist Cesar Rosas pick what they're going to play.
Berlin is a busy guy, aside from his work with Los Lobos. He's also a session musician and a producer who has worked on hundreds of projects, ranging from Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon's "Graceland" album to Freddy Fender, the Go-Gos and Buckwheat Zydeco. But he said he prefers playing live to playing in the studio.
"When you realize it's going to be forever, it puts some extra pressure on you," he said. "Playing live, it doesn't quite feel the same."
8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 9, at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall