Monday, April 6, 2009

Calexico @ Heritage Square


When I walked up to the stage at Heritage Square in downtown Phoenix, I was pleasantly surprised with what I saw. I was envisioning a tiny stage with no real lights... and people just sitting on the grass around the stage. But it was actually very cool. there was a proper stage with a decent amount of lights... and a cool spider web-ish backdrop.
The first band I caught was called Sergio Mendoza Y Orkesta, a 13 -piece Latin band. This was a very moving show. Lots of textures and layers. All sorts of instruments being played... a fan dancer... and Tucson legend Salvador Duran singing back ups and tapping his boots on a wooden box. They put on a very cool and energetic show.
Then Calexico took the stage. A few of the same band members in both bands helped bridge the gap from Latino music to the Americana meets indie sounds of the Calexico. I was impressed with what I heard. A lot more sounds than I expected to hear. Again, very nice layers.
The lights were pretty consistent throughout the show. No real changes... just a few colors would blink on and off... and occasionally dim. It was a shoot where I could take my time and figure out the shots and work with the light. The only real challenge was shoving my way up to the front of the stage as the place was packed! There was no barrier, so I just made my way around the stage and jammed my way in to get a good shot.

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