Los Lobos has been in the music-making business for 35 years, but the Mexican-American rockers aren’t showing any signs of slowing. The five-man band will hit the road early in 2009 for more than 20 concerts on a coast-to-coast jaunt that spans mid-January through May.
The band’s next concert is set for December 31 at the Rialto Theatre in Tucson, AZ, after which vocalist-guitarists David Hidalgo and Louie Perez will play a series of three solo shows in California on January 9 at Valley Opera House in Napa, January 10 at Poway Center for Performing Arts in Poway, and January 11 at James Armstrong Theatre in Torrance.
The first full-band show of 2009 is slated for January 22 at Kingsbury Hall in Salt Lake City, UT, with more performances following through a May 29 appearance at Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center in Santa Clarita, CA. Highlights for the U.S. tour include a March 22 set at Belly Up in Aspen, CO, and April 25 at One World Theater in Austin, TX.
The band began as Los Lobos Del Este Los Angeles in 1973 when principal members Hidalgo, Perez, Cesar Rojas (vocals/guitars), Conrad Lozaron (bass) and Steve Berlin (keyboards/saxophone) were still in high school, according to the band’s Web site. Though Los Lobos (The Wolves) released its debut album “Si Se Puede!” in 1976, the rockers didn’t break through until they recorded the soundtrack to “La Bamba” in 1987.
Los Lobos’s most recent studio record is 2006’s “The Town and The City,” which was primarily written by Hidalgo and Perez. The album focuses on a theme of immigration — a topic that the band found unavoidable because of its political spotlight at the time.
“As artists, we take our experience and put it into painting, stories or songs,” Perez explained in a statement. “Right now, when the world is in this incredible state of flux, it’s impossible for this experience not to affect your work.”
Los Lobos itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)
December 31 | Tuscon, AZ | Rialto Theatre |
January 9 | Napa, CA | Valley Opera House * |
January 10 | Poway, CA | Poway Center for Performing Arts * |
January 11 | Torrance, CA | James Armstrong Theatre * |
January 22 | Salt Lake City, UT | Kingsbury Hall |
January 23 | Portland, OR | Aladdin Theater |
January 24 | Olympia, WA | Saturday Washington Center For Performing Arts |
March 6 | Santa Cruz, CA | The Catalyst |
March 7 | Stateline, NV | Harrah’s Lake Tahoe |
March 20 | Espanola, NM | OhKay Casino Resort Hotel |
March 21 | Durango, CO | Ft. Lewis College Performance Hall |
March 22 | Aspen, CO | Belly Up Aspen |
March 23 | Butte, CO | Center For The Arts Crested |
March 24 | Beaver Creek, CO | Vilar Center For The Arts |
April 15 | Albany, NY | Wednesday Hart Theatre at The Egg |
April 16 | Mamaroneck, NY | The Emelin Theatre |
April 17 | Utica, NY | Stanley Theatre |
April 18 | Morristown, NJ | Community Theatre at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts |
April 24 | Braunfels, TX | Gruene Hall New |
April 25 | Austin, TX | One World Theater |
April 26 | Houston, TX | Houston International Festival |
April 29 | San Bernardino, CA | California Theatre |
May 29 | Santa Clarita, CA | Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center |
* David Hidalgo and Louie Perez only