Fonseca's NYC performance

It's been nearly a month since my last full post. I hope you've all been able to survive without me and my writing.

Without any further ado, on with the show!!!!!

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Last night, I bought a ticket for Fonseca's concert in the city tonight as an early birthday present to myself. I was on the fence for over a week as to whether I really wanted to go or not. Would I want to actually go alone if no one else was interested in coming along? I decided at the last minute (last night) to buy my ticket to the show. Admittedly, I would have loved to have had some company – especially someone who is more genuinely Colombian than I am so that they could help me navigate any issues that might come up. Either way, I went to the show with fairly high expectations based on reviews of the opening show in Miami last week of his Gratitour (a pun of the title of his current album, Gratitud) and a show he did in Charlotte, NC a few days ago (enough Colombians/Latinos in NC to have a show there?? Who knew!?)

There was a ridiculous line outside the venue (the Fillmore at Irving Plaza, for you nosy folks). I got there around 8:20 for an 8 PM show. Now considered it was a Colombian artist and the audience is Latino, it was a safe bet that the show wouldn’t start before 9PM since we’re all running on Latino time. But I didn’t expect so many people to still be on line considering that people were being let into the theater when I passed by the entrance. Thankfully, the line continued to move well as they were letting people in at a fairly good pace considering the line wrapped around a block and was close to three blocks long. One employee monitoring the line said they were told the event was "over sold out". He estimated there were well over 1500 people in attendance.

Once inside (9:06 PM for those keeping score), I had a chance to take in the scene. Sure, it was crowded but it wasn’t packed sardine tight like the employee indicated while I was online. The place itself was quaint. There was a full bar available as well so I bought (and subsequently) downed a reasonably priced Newcastle Brown Ale. As I walked onto the main floor at ground level, the DJ was playing some great Spanish rock songs that everyone was vibing to and singing along with Mana and Enanitos Verdes before throwing in some Carlos Vives in the mix [Check out the 1^st video below]. Some of the other songs played while I was there (songs I haven’t heard in a loooooong time FYI): El Venao; Sopa de Caracol; Pasame La Botella; and Me Voy. The place is packed and there is no seating. It is standing room only and rather than get squeezed out by the hundreds already in place downstairs, I decided to move up to the balcony where railbirds were already in place. Though I figured being right behind them with a vantage point directly above stage right was fine by me.

What a performance!! Some old stuff (Te Mando Flores, Como Me Mira), some new stuff (Gratitud, Perdon), some covers (Idilio, El Cantor de Fonseca – haha get it? Cuz that’s his name… lol). This led to a rendition of El Rey (set-up nicely by explaining the common-knowledge "fact" that Colombians love Mexican music - not all of it but certainly rancheras) before transitioning into Arroyito to close his set. Simply genius!

One of the downsides was my inability to take better pictures since DSLRs were not allowed thus forcing me to revert back to my ol’ standby, my point-and-shoot camera. In the end, that worked out well since I have video capability on that camera (even if the video is grainy and low quality). Another sour moment of the night came when one of the railbirds, understandably, was getting annoyed by my consistent picture taking over his girlfriend’s head. He finally got fed up and turned around basically asking me WTF. We later joked about what happened to my camera since he hadn't seen a flash overhead in over a half hour. I thought to myself, “Haha, a-hole. F**k you.” But we had a good laugh about it anyway because he actually did me a favor. I was now less concerned about taking pictures and was totally dedicated to taking in the performance. It allowed me to enjoy the show THAT much more.

I would love to see Fonseca gain enough of a following to one day perform at an arena that can seat thousands like Nassau Coliseum or the Prudential Center (and one day the grand-daddy of arenas, MSG). But, for now, the intimacy of this venue was perfect for the energy and parranda-atmosphere Fonseca and his band provided, something that could be lost in a larger arena. The space was tight but everyone was dancing (yes, myself included... believe it or not. How could you not??). This was one of the best concert experiences I have ever had (right up there with the Marc Anthony concert at MSG where he covered Hotel California).

Even if you didn't understand Spanish, the music was so infectious and the set so well organized that ANYONE could get into it and enjoy the show regardless of cultural background. Sure, it helps if you're Colombian, but it's not mandatory to have a good time with Fonseca.

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COMPLETE SONG SET OF NEW YORK PERFORMANCE::

Concert began at 9:40.

1 - Enredame

2 - Como Me Mira

3 - San Jose

4 - Alma de Hierro

5 - Idilio (slowed r&b-ish version)

6 - Catalina

7 - Paraiso

8 - Sigo Aqui Cantando

....Fonseca talks to the crowd. Shout-out to sponsors, etc....

9 - Perdon

10- Gratitud

11- El Cantor de Fonseca (sick accordion solo for 2-3 min...naaaaasty!!)

12- not sure of the name and didn't quite catch the lyrics.. Slow, mellow, rock-ish jam....

13- Confiesame

14- Viene Subiendo

15- Lagartija Azul

....band member intros - shout outs for engineers/behind the scenes employees and various cities of Colombia....

16- Hace Tiempo (started slow for first verses and the chorus while Fonseca sang and played guitar unaccompanied)

[Time check - 10:56]

17- Te Mando Flores (2nd video below)

[Time - 11:05... when will he do Arroyito already? The audience has been chanting "Arroyito! Arroyito!" on and off between the last several songs]

18- El Rey (Slowed down version, check the video below)

19- Arroyito (uninterrupted lead-in from El Rey before singing the song at "normal" tempo)

....requests from the audience....

20- Simulacion (cover of Diomedes Diaz track)

21- Bonita (cover of Diomedes Diaz track - 3rd video below).

Fonseca indicated that 'Bonita' was a song they didn't normally play but he had to just be teasing us all because they f**king rocked the house down as they ended the night with this song.

Concert ended at 11:25PM

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Video 1 - Pre-concert: crowd singing Carlos Vives


Video 2 - Te Mando Flores (live)


Video 3 - Bonita (live)


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Until next time, faithful reader....

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BONUS VID!! (Added 3/28)
"El Rey" into "Arroyito"