El Paso has not seen the likes of any band like Chicano Batman since, well, Chicano Batman came in 2016. They returned to the Sun City on a booming Wednesday evening with new sounds, a new album and a fresh Hispanic vibe. For a venue like Tricky Falls, the band stole the stage and never lost interest of the roaring crowd.
Opening the show was SadGirl and The Shacks, who brought their indie-punk sets to the stage.
After both acts rallied the crowd it was time for the main act: Chicano Batman. Immediately after storming onto the stage, they ventured into their new album with one of their dreamy tracks, “Angel Child,” which erupted the crowd.
They opened with many different tracks off their new album, “Freedom Is Free,” such as “Passed You By,” “Jealousy” and, their title track, “Freedom Is Free.” It was not until they played “Friendship (Is A Small Boat In A Storm)” that they had the crowd by the palm of their hand.
One of the most special parts of Chicano Batman is how they weigh heavily on diversity. The four members, who all proudly boasted matching blue formal suits and bow ties, seemed to feed off the diverse audience and wanted to give back to it. They never steered away from their influences of 1960s Brazilian bossa nova and samba or slow-jam soulful music. And, best of all, they proudly sang their Latin-based lyrics both in English and in Spanish.
Chicano Batman showed the El Paso audience that they truly know how to jam. They would drag out tracks just to continue off on guitar riffs or drum solos. Each track opened up by a distinctive bass that rang throughout the audience. Although at points they would go minutes on minutes without using vocals, they never lost the attention from the crowd. Rather, the Tricky Falls inhabitants fed off the special instrumental edge that Chicano Batman brought.
Through the last stretch of their show, Chicano Batman ventured through their Latin roots very effectively. Bilingual or not, it was special to hear their passion being broadcasted through their instrumentals and sound. After going off stage when they finished “Itotiani,” the band came back for an encore and played three more tracks. They played “La Tigresa” and “Magma,” which had the crowd dancing, but then they did something completely unexpected. The band covered the Latino fan favorite “El Soni” and brought out the true Hispanic out of every fan in the crowd. One fan even tossed up a Mexico flag, which the band waved around proudly.
As they exited the stage, fans stayed behind and even got a chance to meet the band after the show.
