Latin alternative rock band Café Tacvba performed Saturday night, Sept. 7, at the Abraham Chavez Theatre for its “30th Anniversary Tour.” An energetic crowd sang along and danced all night as Rubén Albarrán, Emmanuel del Real, Enrique and Joselo Rangel took the stage to perform several hit songs.
The band began its set a little after 8 p.m. with “Seguir Siendo,” “Tengo Todo” and “Cero y Uno.” Afterward, vocalist Rubén Albarrán formally introduced the band to the audience while making a few jokes on the side. Albarrán also mentioned that the performance was part of a celebratory tour, and that they would be performing a mix of earlier and more recent songs.
The band was formed in 1989 in Ciudad Satélite, Mexico, and then grew increasingly popular throughout the 1990s. Their most previous appearances in El Paso were on Oct. 27, 2014, and on May 27, 2018 at Neon Desert Music Festival.
Throughout the night, the band performed several songs including “Volver a comenzar,” “Olita del altamar,” “Como te extraño mi amor,” “Futuro,” and “Eres,” among others.
Albarrán paused in between songs to talk to the crowd in Spanish. At one point, the singer mentioned he felt “freedom” whenever he sang and that he disliked doing interviews because he found them boring.
Before Albarrán began singing “Déjate caer,” he paid tribute to musician Celso Piña and painter Francisco Toledo, who passed away earlier this year, and invited the audience to dedicate the song to any relatives or friends who have also passed away.
Toward the end of the night, Albarrán asked the crowd for a minute of silence in honor of the El Paso Walmart shooting victims. The audience yelled “El Paso strong!” immediately after as they clapped.
Albarrán spoke of the racism that influenced the Walmart shooter, the ongoing femicides and protests in Mexico, and implored the audience to “fight the good fight” in order to make society and the world better.
The band concluded the night with “El baile y el salón,” as they reached out to fans in the front row to sign autographs.
Alejandra Molina may be reached at [email protected].
