Maldita Vecindad and Chicago seem to not be getting along. Sadly, in 2019, their performance at Aragon Ballroom was canceled just days before the show. Earlier this August, their performance at Ruido Fest was canceled the morning of. After what seemed like three years of bad luck for fans, the Mexican rock/ska legends made their triumphant return. Needless to say, Chicago’s Riviera Theatre turned into a wonderfully chaotic celebration of Paz y Baile, peace, and dancing.
Dressed like Mexican cinema legend and pachuco icon Tin-Tan, frontman Roco Pachukote addressed the crowd with love and sincerity. Maldita Vecindad had officially returned.
Accompanied by the band’s ominous intro music, Roco reminded the crowd of the ancestral presence at the Riviera. Then explained how we were there to celebrate after years of dealing with the pandemic. Maldita Vecindad started the show with their classic “Solín,” turning the once-lifeless crowd into a cyclone. A circle pit that would last for nearly 2 hours! Accompanied by beer spills and crowd surfing, that set was the embodiment of a true passion for rock en español.
After a year of massive stadium shows and festivals, the intimacy of the Riviera Theatre worked to the band’s advantage. The historic Chicago venue doesn’t have a bad seat in the house. If you’re on the floor, the venue feels grand. Yet, the artists are always at an intimate distance.
If you were in the pit that night, Maldita Vecindad made it easy to explore every inch of the general admission floor.
Each member of Maldita Vecindad was on fire! Roco can still sing and dance on stage as if it were the early 90s during the band’s inception. Bassist Aldo Acuña and guitarist Pato demonstrated how they’re truly masters of their craft, laying down groovy and tight lines and ripping through frantic guitar rhythms.
The biggest blow to Maldita Vecindad comes from the death of their founding saxophonist. Sadly, Sax passed away from COVID-19 complications in 2021. Despite the hole left by his death, the replacement played with outstanding virtuosity. Frenzied sax melodies were on the order with their fast-paced songs like “Don Palabras” or “Un Poco de Sangre,”. Even passionately playing their more tamer songs like “Kumbala.” Midway through the show, the band performed a traditional Mexican folk song “La Martiniana” to pay tribute to their lost bandmate.
Ska will always remain an interesting genre. However, it’s strange to think that such serious topics can be sung over such silly-sounding music.
Nonetheless, Maldita Vecindad (like many Latin American ska bands) know how to powerfully handle what they want to say. Before their song “Un Poco de Sangre,” Roco dedicated the song to students who have disappeared and died (sometimes at the hands of the Mexican government), even citing the 2014 kidnapping of 43 students from Iguala, Guerrero. The band was willing to take the time to speak to the audience in such an intimate setting and tried their best to spread good vibes and peace.
Rock en español is always going to have a home in Chicago. Clearly, Maldita Vecindad made their presence known at the Riviera, and the fans made it known how much they were missed. By the time their (arguably) most popular song “Pachuco” played, the never-ending circle pit only got bigger and everyone sang in the spirit of defiance to those legendary lyrics. If you didn’t leave the show drenched in beer and sweat, I guarantee you left with a sense of satisfaction that Maldita gave Chicago everything they had.
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