Molotov Blow Up The Regent

By Angel AguilarDecember 10, 2014AB's Top Music News, Music
Molotov at The Regent Theater
By Angel Aguilar | December 10, 2014

Molotov at The Regent Theater

Like a Molotov cocktail, Mexican hard rockers Molotov brought an explosion of energy, protest music, good sense of humor and irony to the stage of the newly renovated Regent Theater in down town L.A.

From an early hour, on Wednesday December 3rd, fans began to line up the streets around the Regent Theater, even the rain that had been falling all day did not dampen their spirits and the excitement was palpable. The usual gang of concert t-shirt sellers were out there selling pirated Molotov t-shirts and sadly, Ayotzinapa and 43 t-shirts, which only goes to show that some people just don’t care about major tragedies and they are always ready to make an extra buck no matter what, but at the same time, I am not sure which was worse, the sellers making money from a national tragedy or the buyers of those t-shirts proudly wearing them as if it was a fashion statement.

Once inside, the renovated Regent Theater did not look like so many of the older theaters that have been recently renovated in the down town theater district. The Regent did not have shiny ceiling fixtures or ornate architecture on the walls, in fact it looked like an old warehouse, but it sure felt like rock & roll. It had a gritty punk rock feel that made me imagine the beginnings of the punk movement in L.A.

Aztlan Underground opened up the show with their hard hitting protest lyrics and music, unfortunately, it often looked comical, as their lead singer kept talking about keeping true to your roots, but he had a hard time completing his speeches in Spanish because of his lack of fluency with the language, or the their percussionist coming in late to the gig and carrying his conga drum through the crowd so he could get on stage or their drummer taking pictures of the crowd while the singer was ranting about “the man” keeping the “browns” and “blacks” down.

During the Latin Grammy ceremony a few weeks ago, something strange happened; the Grammy for the “Best Rock Album” was actually awarded to a rock group instead of the usual Juanes or Maná. Molotov was awarded the Grammy for “Best Rock Album” for their latest album, Agua Maldita and in typical Molotov fashion they dedicated the Grammy to Mexico, its students, citizens and families and also thanked all their fans who have attended their shows.
At the Regent Theater there was no mention of Grammys or any awards, there was only hard hitting rock & roll starting off with “Noko” and“Amateur” which got the crowd into full throttle right away with slamming, jumping and excitement.

Songs from the new album, Agua Maldita like “Fuga”, “Lagunas Mentales”, “No Existe” and “La Raza Es La Pura Raza” were weaved in with classics like “Chinga Tu Madre”, “Here We Kum”, “Dance And Dense Denso”, and “Frijolero” amongst many others.

Molotov has always used irony in order to bring forth serious subjects and that was evident on songs like “Hit Me”, and “Gimme Tha Power”, which really hit home with those who are really taking the Mexican situation seriously and are not just wearing “43” t-shirts as a fashion statement.

But it wasn’t all seriousness, Molotov has also been known for their great sense of humor and on “Blame Me”, two of their crew members jumped up from behind the amplifiers to join in the chorus after which they would disappear only to appear at the next chorus. There was also some serious punk and rock & roll moments with their cover of the Misfits “Marciano” in which they did a version that was close to the album version followed by a punked up version which turned the dance floor into a major slam.

To finish up the night, Molotov ended with the classic “Puto”, which had everyone dancing and singing at the top of their lungs. As the years go by, Molotov continues to prove why they are one of the most important and relevant bands of Latin America and their lyrics and music continues to resonates with fans of multiple generations and even the fact that they were awarded a Grammy, a very prestigious award to some, for Molotov it’s all about their music and their fans.

 

 

molotov-regent-theater-1
molotov-regent-theater-2
molotov-regent-theater-3
molotov-regent-theater-4
molotov-regent-theater-5
molotov-regent-theater-6
molotov-regent-theater-7
molotov-regent-theater-8
molotov-regent-theater-9
molotov-regent-theater-10
molotov-regent-theater-11
molotov-regent-theater-12
molotov-regent-theater-13
molotov-regent-theater-14
molotov-regent-theater-15
molotov-regent-theater-16
molotov-regent-theater-17
molotov-regent-theater-18