Which leads me to my next point...we didn't actually get to see Vallejo. After discerning that there was no way we were going to find a table, we decided to try to get a spot at the bar so we could at least have a place to lean and set down our beers. So we spent most of the time Vallejo was playing defending our place at the bar from the crowd clamoring for beers and shots. They sounded great though. Very rockin'. Great guitar work. And they seem to have a loyal fan base. I talked to several people at the bar who said they always come out to see Vallejo, they love Vallejo, Vallejo rocks. And they did...rock, that is.
We did finally manage to weasel our way into a table right up front when Del Castillo came on. I'm glad we did. They were awesome! I have to admit I've never been much into Latin music, but I loved it! The back-and-forth guitar work between Rick and Mark Del Castillo is amazing. Their fingers just fly up and down those frets and they never miss a note. Beautiful melodies and harmonies. The singer, Alex "El Lobo" Ruiz, has a great voice and is full of energy. A girl sitting at our table told me he reminds her of a Hispanic Steven Tyler and I could see what she meant. I was also very impressed with their percussionist (the title "drummer" wouldn't do him justice and they have a drummer also), Rick "The Rev" Holeman (hope I'm getting all these names right). He has a percussion set up you would not believe...everything from bongos to chimes and he knows how to work 'em. At one point, he brought a small bongo over to Rick Del Castillo, and Rick was playing guitar and the drum at the same time.
Near the end of the concert, Rick and Mark stood up on their chairs and jammed and the crowd went wild! When they finished their last song, there were deafening shouts of "OTRA! OTRA!" The band came back out and played a couple more songs. When they were finished, I wanted to go say hi to Rick, whom, as I mentioned in a previous post, I knew many years ago. But it took quite a while for me to get to him. Fans just flocked the band members, wanting them to autograph their CD's or take pictures with them. I had no idea Del Castillo was so big, but I can see why.When I finally did catch Rick he asked me if I thought he'd gotten better. I said yes. I remember way back when, I had an Yngwie Malmsteen guitar pick I had caught at a concert. I play guitar and I never used that pick because I like mediums and it was a heavy. So I gave it to Rick and he couldn't believe I was giving it away because of the thickness. Last night, I watched him throw his guitar picks out to the audience and the people fighting to catch them, and I thought that was really cool. Yes, Rick, you were a great guitarist when I knew you and now you have people fighting over your guitar picks and standing in line for your autograph. I'd say you've gotten better!
So, I'm bummed that I didn't really get to watch Vallejo. I'll have to catch them again sometime. But I want to thank Del Castillo for broadening my musical horizons. I now have an appreciation for Latin music that I lacked before. Thanks, guys!
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