Caifanes fills the Hollywood Bowl for a night of Spanish rock

Eagerness and excitement filled Los Angeles on the Wednesday night of June 5th, as an enormous line of cars quickly filled the multiple parking lots of the Hollywood Bowl. The Spanish rock legends Café Tacvba and Caifanes were in town! Before arriving at the Hollywood Bowl, there was a lot of traffic at the final exit of the freeway. As I waited in line to get off the highway, I spotted many T-shirt vendors selling Caifanes merch along the cars.

The amount of fans buying shirts from the vendors was staggering!

Along the entrance to the venue, I was able to hear the excited chatter of the many fans waiting in line. Friends and families alike — everyone was eager to hear some Spanish rock. Fans were stocking up on their favorite snacks and drinks as showtime was getting closer.

Café Tacvba took the stage around 7:30om, to a roar of the excited crowd. Every band member slowly approached their instruments and took their places onstage. With a thrilled welcome from their lead singer, Ruben Albarran, Café Tacvba kicked off their first song. The Hollywood Bowl erupted into cheers from the energized crowd. Although the venue had not yet filled up, the audience’s reactions made it feel as if it was a sold-out one. Café Tacvba played every song with joy, dancing along to the crowd. As they ended their set, they thanked the crowd and wished them a goodnight.

After waiting with anticipation for about 20 minutes, the house lights turned off to cheers even louder than before. From claps to whistles to screams, everybody was in the right mood. Caifanes kicked off their set with incredible energy; they were just as excited to be onstage and greet their fans. As every single song began, the crowd would immediately cheer as if every song was their favorite. They sang every lyric word-for-word. Happiness was in the air as the crowd danced along, with Caifanes ending their set with an explosion of energy. The crowd passionately sang along and as the final song ended, the venue roared with cheers. The house lights turned on and John Lennon’s “Imagine” played over the speakers, prompting the crowd to continue singing as they left the venue. It was definitely an exciting time.

Photography by Guillermo “Memo” Sanchez

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