On Friday, October 1st, Grammy-winning artists, Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero, a.k.a. Rodrigo y Gabriela, gave their fans an exceptional opportunity to put their mark on the duo’s Atlanta concert, by allowing them to choose the set list for the Atlanta performance of their “By Request” US Tour at Buckhead Theatre.
For this tour, the duo has posted a career-spanning list of songs on their website and social media platforms, giving fans the opportunity to vote on what they want to hear.
After their 2019 Mettavolution world tour was cut short due to COVID-19, Rodrigo y Gabriela became very active online with live sessions, exclusive cover versions, exchanges with fans – even mindfulness and cooking classes – all to occupy them until they could return to the stage. This tour was what they had been waiting for, and it showed.
The crowd was as starved for Rodrigo y Gabriela as the pair was for their audience, and the fans demonstrated their longing with electric applause as they took their place, center stage, and sat on steps that were created for the show.
Crimson light bathed both guitarists as a fog from the smoke machine billowed into the theatre. They began to play “Tamacun”, from their self-titled album, Rodrigo y Gabriela, with little fanfare and almost workman-like determination. Their fingers flew from the frets to the bridge with preternatural speed and precision, as an orchestra of sound emanated from their two instruments.
With R y G, It’s impossible to determine where the guitar ends and the musician begins, or even where one player ends and the other begins. Their 20+ years of partnership (the first eleven as a couple) are evident in their perfect syncopation, which never faltered during the hour + long set. Playing in order of their album releases, the pair followed up Tamacun with their Flamenco-influenced Megahit from Puss in Boots, “Diablo Rojo” – the crowd went wild.
The sheer talent and power of these artists cannot be overstated. It’s in evidence with every note they play and every beat they drum on the bodies of their guitars. They effortlessly move from the more forceful, gritty flamenco style on numbers like “Rojo”, and “Hanuman”, to the jazz and classical infused “Satori” and “11:11” as their hands lightly touch the strings, then crescendo into soaring sound.
They moved on to the more atmospheric, “The Pirate That Should Not Be”, from their collaboration with Hans Zimmer on the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides soundtrack, then took turns with solo numbers between “Sound Maker” and “Torito”, both from their 9 Dead Alive LP. It was heartening to see the way they supported each other’s efforts, applauding for their counterparts after each respective solo, belying the affection they still share as “better friends by far,” than they were as a couple, as Quintero characterized their relationship.
The remaining songs were all from their latest effort, Mettavolution, beginning with the astonishingly agile “Witness Tree”, then a shortened version of their crowd-pleasing Pink Floyd tribute, “Echoes”. They slowed things down with the poignant “Electric Soul” and bluesy “Terracentric”, as they played, almost trance-like, as lost in the melodic rhythm, as their audience.
The indefatigable duo ended with equal energy on two rock infused numbers, “Krotona Days” and the album’s title song, “Mettavolution”, which channels a bit of Carlos Santana, along with their own brand of virtuoso musicianship.
Though the concert was only slightly over an hour long, it was still a marvel of talent, flawless execution and endurance, and the pair were rewarded with a loving and joyful ovation that equals the joy that they bring to their intoxicating approach, blurring the lines of rock, blues, flamenco, pop and classical music, all with equal skill and passion.
Set list:
- Tamacun
- Diablo Rojo
- Satori
- Hanuman
- 11:11
- The Pirate that Should Not Be
- Gabriela Solo
- Sound Maker
- Torito
- Rodrigo Solo
- Witness Tree
- Echoes Medley
- Electric Soul
- Terracentric
- Krotona Days
- Mettavolution
