Paco de Lucia -- Berkeley, CA -- February 1st, 2007

ADD · #1 02-03-2007, 03:36 PM

On Thursday night I went to see perhaps the greatest guitarist of our time, Paco de Lucia, live in Berekely California. Paco is a revolutionary guitarist in combining flamenco with jazz and other unlikely flavors to create a new twist on the ancient art of flamenco. In short, your favorite guitarist sucks compared to him. Not knowing really what to expect coming in to the show, I was highly pleased with the fact that it was not just him play unaccompanied the whole time, and that the band he has assembled to play with him are all completely world-class in their own right. Paco implements un "cajon", which is actually a Peruvian instrument, along with other beautiful percussions, as well as a bassist, keyboardist, second guitar, and two wonderful female vocalists. However, my favorite is that the keyboardist plays a jaw harp on some of the songs! One of my favorite instruments definitely, really cool.

The show itself was absolutely phenomenal, just a spectacle to see how the limits of human skill and abilities get pushed in such a way that it seems unfathomable. Watching this guy play doesn't even come close to anything else I've ever seen, and when you close your eyes, it seems deceiving that it could really only be one man making those sounds (this is when he did a couple of the numbers unaccompanied). The stage setup fit perfectly with the show as well, with some exotic palm trees and tasteful lighting and subtle backdrops creating an amazing ambiance. The theater itself was great too, top sound quality all around. The set lasted about 2 1/2 hours, with an intermission and an encore. The crowd was entranced throughout, and especially showed their appreciation by working up a very strong chant of "Paco! Paco!" for the encore which was cool to see

This was a wonderful experience for me, and something completely different from just another rock/metal concert. I love all types of music aside from those, but especially strong is my love for Latin music, and you just don't get any better than seeing a true virtuoso and musical revolutionary. Truly a great night, and very inspiring as well, to see how beautiful it is when people can create such music.

Setlist:

Rondena
Solea
Buleria
Minera
Alegrias

INTERMISSION

Palenque
Bulerias
Tango
Zyryab

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