Los Lobos drew a large crowd during a special performance in Merced.
David Hildalgo of Los Lobos takes the lead at the start of the band’s performance at the Merced Theatre last Friday night.
Singer-songwriter Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos performs on stage at the Merced Theatre.
Ernie Amezcua of Merced, at right, is a hardcore Los Lobos fan, and he brought his loved ones to the Merced Theatre for the special night.
Thanks to UC Merced’s “UpstART Presents” organization, the entire Merced community was given a chance to see Los Lobos live in concert at the Merced Theatre last Friday.
Los Lobos is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and UC Merced arts supporters werre able to secure a concert in Merced during the band’s schedule.
UC Merced Professor Richard Gomez, on behalf of UpstART, welcomed everyone to the event and thanked all of those who have played a significant role in the program’s recent efforts. UpstART is a faculty run organization with the mission “to bring diverse and exciting arts programming to our campus and local community.”
The theater was packed, and you could feel the excitement in the air. While there were few people in the theater that would call themselves young, there was no lack of energy or enthusiasm for the music of this classic band. In spite of the theater being filled with fixed seats and lacking much floorspace, everyone found space to dance throughout the set. The show even ended with a standing ovation and left the crowd chanting for more. This brought the band back out on stage for an encore for one last song, for which they saved their chart-topping cover of “La Bamba.”
Los Lobos originated in East Los Angeles, and have been active since 1973. They rose to prominence with their No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 — a cover of the Ritchie Valens classic, “La Bamba.” Notably, the song also topped charts in over dozen other countries, such as the Canada, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Spain, Sweden, France, Finland, and more. The band has gone on to release 17 albums, with their most recent release being “Native Sons” back in 2021. If you missed them, and wanted a chance to see them for yourself, they are currently on tour throughout the US, and will be returning to California on May 28 at Bottlerock in Napa Valley.