On Sunday night, The Observatory in Santa Ana witnessed the end of La Castañeda’s mini tour of the Californias, with an energetic and vibrant performance in which the audience and the band became one, with the energy bouncing back and forth between the band and their faithful fans.
From early in the evening Gothic looking figures, along with long haired rockers, some punkers and just regular looking rock fans began to trickle in to the Harbor Blvd. venue. Opening bands, Around Midnight, Vim Furor and L.A. Ska scene veterans, Chencha Berrinches got the crowd warmed up and ready for La Castañeda.
As soon as the silhouette of lead singer Salvador “Chava” Moreno, appeared on the darkened stage, chants of “Chava, Chava” filled the concert hall, and La Castañeda launched into “Lo Demonio” from their 1996 album, El Hilo de Plata, and after saluting the crowd, “Chava” apologized to the crowd for the long 10 year absence from the American stages, but to their faithful fans, that didn’t matter anymore as they showed their appreciation by singing along, slam dancing and body surfing.
As if time had never passed, Salvador twisted and twirled around the stage while his maniacal looks and theatrical movements kept the crowd captivated, while the rest of “La Casta” masterfully ran through hits like “Gitano de Mente”, “La Dosis”, “La Misteriosa”, and “Tloque Nahuaque” along with newer material like “Lucrecia” from their most recent release Llama Doble.
Toward the end of the show, Salvador, thanked the crowd for making the band feel as if they had never been away and for being the best crowd of this mini-tour and he said they couldn’t wait to come back and play again.
Image Credits: The energy bounced back and forth between the band and their faithful fans..
