Rodrigo y Gabriela Bring Acoustic Rock to Radio City Music Hall

Mexican virtuosos Rodrigo y Gabriela played Radio City Music Hall last night, thrilling thousands of fans with their unique style of acoustic guitar, and jamming with surprise guests.

Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero have typically been somewhat of an underground act, as their strictly instrumental music gets little media play in the United States. However, thanks to heavy European touring and online videos, several thousand fans filled the cavernous Radio City Music Hall last night to see the couple perform.

The Alex Skolnick Trio served as the opening act, surprising metal fans with the Testament guitarist’s decidedly non-metal side project. The jazzy group played purely instrumental pieces, and got an especially loud response to their interpretation of Judas Priest’s Electric Eye.

The lights dimmed again around 10pm, and the audience applauded wildly as Rodrigo and Gabriela appeared on the massive Radio City stage. The duo wasted no time launching into their distinctive playing style, as frenetic riffs and licks mixed with an intense percussive sound, all produced purely from a pair of acoustic guitars.

Both musicians addressed the crowd in halting, but gracious English, reminding the audience that the group comes from a metal background. To that end, they frequently used wah-wah pedals over lead and rhythm guitars, an interesting effect on their acoustic sound. At times, it seemed incredulous that there were only two musicians on stage with no drums at all, as Gabriela tapped and rapped on the body of her guitar and palm-muted strings to produce beats which sounded stunningly like a full set of drums, from bass to snares and even top hats. Rodrigo shredded – acoustically of course – all over Gabriela’s impressive rhythms, delving into catchy licks and soulful wailing. Perhaps most impressive was the use of the wah-wah pedal on Gabriela’s faux drumming, a fascinating percussion effect rarely heard elsewhere.

The band brought out a number of guests over the course of the night, first introducing three Palestinian musicians who jammed with the duo, followed soon by Alex Skolnick, who added his electric guitar to the mix. The three musicians were then joined by the rest of Skolnick’s band, and continued to jam out on the catchy instrumental themes.

While the majority of the audience sat through the acoustic songs, at times the entire venue rose up to their feet and cheered at the top of their lungs as the technical, heavy metal background of all the musicians shone through. The beauty of the Spanish-style guitar playing was only enhanced by the palm-muting, chicken-picking, and other metal techniques used by both Rodrigo and Gabriela as well as by Alex Skolnick and his band.

The loudest cheers of the night, however, came when Robert Trujillo of Metallica walked onto the stage. Rodrigo y Gabriela are well known, and perhaps even most famous for their love of Metallica, and portions of One, Creeping Death, and other Metallica fare frequently show up in their live shows and records. Trujillo plugged in his bass, and the three musicians proceeded to play Orion in its entirety, with the band’s unique playing style adding a fascinating edge to Cliff Burton’s instrumental gem. Watch my video of the performance below:

In contrast to typical rock show lighting, Rodrigo y Gabriela avoided brightly colored lights and strobes, and instead used stark, black and white camera shots projected on a massive backdrop and side video screens. The dark visuals created a moody, yet intimate vibe inside the 80 foot tall performance space, adding an element of higher class to the already elegant theater. As the show came to an end, though, am intricate, brightly colored mosaic of a face appeared on the projection backdrop and slowly grew to fill the entire screen, bringing to mind the psychedelic, fractal-based art favored by bands like Tool, and charging the tone of the music to that of a heady, spacey, yet thrilling context.

Rodrigo y Gabriela are an incredibly unique act on the rock music circuit, perhaps the only musicians combining Latin guitar sounds with a distinctive heavy metal influence. Furthermore, while most professional bands practice until their performance is as tight as possible, few groups can compare to the natural chemistry evident between Rodrigo and Gabriela. The music created when the duo is on stage is some of the most original, compelling, and beautiful performances throughout the rock genre, and truly a marvel for any music fan to experience.

Last night's show was truly stunning, and something special for all those fortunate enough to be in attendance.  While some additional cover tunes would have been a nice treat, between the premier musicianship and high profile guest appearances, fans got more than their money's worth, and in one of New York City's nicest venues no less.  Rodrigo y Gabriela doesn't hit New York nearly often enough, but when they do, fans can always expect a mindblowing performance from these exemplary musicians. 

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