Photo Credits: Tracey Savein   

The Wolves were at the door...Los Lobos, that is and in they came, blowing the house down with hot sounds and big, bad stories to tell. Playing that sweet soul music, Mexican style, by way of East L.A. 

Their triumphant fourth return to Koerner Hall in Toronto, a place packed with dedicated fans nodding in acknowledgement to every first lick of a song, bopping and howling to faves and deep cuts alike. Wrapped in that colourful tapestry of Los Lobos's special blend of rock, tex-mex, country, zydeco, folk, rhythm & blues and blues and soul, LL was shakin' it up with some serious hot sauce.

Five guys playing and fifty years going, there they were: David Hidalgo; vocals, guitar, accordion, fiddle, requinto jarocho - Louie Pérez; drums, guitar, jarana huasteca, vocals - Cesar Rosas; vocals, guitar, bajo sexto - Conrad Lozano; bass, guitarron, vocals - and Steve Berlin; keyboards, woodwinds.

Digging into a seventeen-song set list that stretched the seventy-five minute show into a ninety-five minute blistering ramble...that's how it's done, folks. Beautiful, melodic turns with "Marciela" and" La Pistola y el Coraźon" to funky crowd pleasers, "The Neighbourhood" and "Kiko and the Lavender Moon", along with enthusiastic nods to predecessors and compadres alike, with renditions of Ritchie Valens' "Come On, Let's Go", "Bertha" by The Grateful Dead and "Cinnamon Girl" by that Canadian guy, Neil Young. Of course, the night would not be complete without that anticipated encore...the crowd erupting into a joyful sing-along of "Guantanamera" and then an explosive finale of "La Bamba" that got the house on its feet and feeling Fantastico! Mucho gracias, amigos, come back again real soon!

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