How Cafe Tacuba sprained my ankle
This is probably the least exciting location from which I have filed a dispatch. My sofa, in my third-floor apartment, my snowball-like foot propped up on a couple of cushions as I look out onto the cloudy Mexico City panorama this morning.
What happened? Well, it’s all Cafe Tacuba’s fault really.
I interviewed two of the members – “Meme” and “Quique” – of one of Mexico’s most successful rock bands early Saturday evening at the Foro Sol, one of the city’s biggest venues with a capacity of 55,000.
Emmanuel “Meme” del Real Díaz and Enrique ‘Quique’ Rangel Arroyo were both really nervous, as they were about to step out in front of their massive home town audience for a marathon four hour set.
Anyway, it’s always a buzz interviewing creative and passionate people, so I was set for the gig which started at 8 pm. The atmosphere was intoxicating, and not just because of the beers and the mixers being sold by waiters passing continuously through the crowds.
Cafe Tacuba are from Mexico City and – as is evident from the sold-out show – loved by Mexico City. They still live here and that in part contributes to the “chilango-ness” of their sound. But more to come of that later in a interview with the band, which I’m still editing.
The band came on at around 8:30 pm to chants of “pa pa pa pa weyeweyooooo”, which is from the song “el baile y el salon” (hear it here). The energy that they put into the show was incredible, with vocalist Rubén Isaac Albarrán Ortega, who currently goes by the name of “Ixaya Mazatzin Tleyotl” (he changes his name for every album) wheeling around like a spinning top, his long curly hair spinning out around him like a skirt. And when he wasn’t spinning he was jumping, or running, or dancing.
Standing in a crowd of 55,000 bouncing Chilangos (what they call “Londoners” or “Angelinos” here in Mexico City – the city natives) is no small thing, and the song “Chilangabanda” (“banda” means gang) had special meaning.
Which explains why I was hopping and skipping my way to the toilets. I was elated. Too elated. My ankle gave way, and I fell to my knees. Even after a few beers, the pain was excruciating.
Which brings me back to why I am filing this dispatch from my sofa.
Pinche Cafe Tacuba.
That’s the best image of the day – you skipping around like a little girl in pigtails. CUTENESS! Get well soon. Maybe I can come over and sign your cast.
You gotta admit it was worth it… I had to walk a lot from my car to the Foro Sol (let’s say 30 min), and I’m still smiling, remembering the beautiful view of 50 thousand chilangos gettin along, drinking and overall having fun.
Oh god it was TOTALLY worth it, and needless to say a night I’ll never forget, as much as because of the performance as for my sustained injury.
I love the song and video “el baile y el salon” which I believe is Dance and Lounge in English. It sounds like a send up to the and place and culture of Mexico city.