Columnist Spencer Patterson: Latino faves Jaguares building a base in U.S.

Spencer Patterson

Friday, June 24, 2005 | 8:18 a.m.

The first time Jaguares played the United States, the Mexico-based rockers' tour consisted of precisely one city.

"We just did Los Angeles and went back home," drummer Alfonso Andre recalled during a phone interview from his home in Mexico City on Monday.

A lot has changed in the decade-plus since that early U.S. foray. Today, Jaguares regularly perform north of the border and have gradually added new stops to their itineraries here.

This summer's tour even includes Portland, Charlotte, N.C., and Memphis, Tenn., nontraditional markets for a band that once stuck close to cities with large Latino populations.

"Every tour we add some new cities that we've never played before in the U.S.," Andre, 42, said. "We don't know what to expect in those kinds of places, but it's great to do it."

Las Vegas has been a regular stopover for Jaguares for some time, and the group returns for a show Saturday night at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. Doors open at 6 p.m. for the 21-and-over event. Tickets are $35 to $60.

Of course, making inroads in new cities means paying dues. And that means Jaguares, a band that has played for more than 120,000 fans in Mexico City, is booked at small clubs for much of its U.S. tour.

Andre said the five-piece group -- which also includes vocalist Saul Hernandez, guitarist Cesar "Vampiro" Lopez, a touring percussionist and a touring bassist -- welcomes the chance to scale back its live show.

"It's like going back to the beginning, starting over somehow," Andre said. "We don't get a chance to play small clubs like that, so it's a good change of pace."

Jaguares also attempted to go back in time on their latest album, "Cronicas de un Laberinto," Andre explained. The disc, which has been out for about a month, showcases a hungry alterna-rock outfit that has been described as "Mexico's answer to U2."

"This time around we were looking for the freshness that you get from listening to the first album from any band," Andre said. "We were trying to look for that vibe and that feeling, and I think we got it to some extent."

As they have been on all Jaguares releases, the lyrics on "Cronicas de un Laberinto" (which translates to "Chronicles of a Labyrinth") are all in Spanish.

Andre said higher-ups at the band's record label, Sony/BMG International, approached the Jaguares about singing in English in an effort to up their U.S. appeal, but Andre and his mates wanted none of it.

"We think in Spanish. That's the language we know and we love, and we don't feel like singing in English," Andre said. "We know that's the iffiest way to make a real crossover and that not a lot of other Latin-American artists have done it.

"But we would love to be able to make it singing in Spanish. That would really be something."

Andre said that while the group's U.S. crowds remain largely comprised of Spanish speakers, he and his bandmates hope for a day when English-speaking audiences open their ears to new sounds and unfamiliar languages.

It's nothing the members of Jaguares haven't done themselves.

"We grew up in Mexico listening to music in English," Andre said. "We loved the music, and the message and the vibe came across the language barrier. We would love to have the same thing happen the other way around in the United States."

And every now and again, the band gets a sign that might not be mission impossible.

"We like seeing fair-skinned people with blonde hair in the audience," Andre said. "They are opening their mind and getting exposed to something different, which we really appreciate."

Music notes

Change of venue: This week's announcement that the July 2 free centennial concert featuring the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Weezer will take place at the Silver Bowl Sports Complex soccer fields is welcome news for locals planning to attend the show.

Of course, it could have been the host site from the start, but at least the organizers got it right in the end.

The prospect of spending a July evening standing among a crowd of 50,000 on the asphalt of the Las Vegas Convention Center's gold parking lot was enough to make anyone melt on the spot.

The event's original home also posed a number of logistical quagmires, from traffic and parking concerns to the question of how an emergency evacuation might have been handled at the unconventional concert site.

So kudos to those who realized the error of their ways and rectified a potentially nightmarish scenario by moving the show to a spot with a history of hosting concerts (anyone remember JuneFest?).

Still, the switch has spawned a few lurking headaches in its own right, particularly for out-of-towners, 20,000 or more of whom are believed to hold tickets.

For one, there's the strong possibility many simply won't hear about the venue swap until they arrive at the gold parking lot. The Centennial Committee ought to consider running shuttles from the old site to the new one, just in case.

Then there's the larger issue of how all those visitors will get from their hotels on the Strip or downtown to the Silver Bowl, way out near the Russell Road exit off Interstate 95.

Anyone planning to walk or take the monorail to the Convention Center will be in for a rude awakening, and taxi rides to and from the Silver Bowl won't be cheap or easy to come by.

Again, shuttles would seem to make a lot of sense, perhaps originating from a couple of points on the Strip and downtown.

Let's just hope the people who waited this long to move the show to a sane location aren't the same ones commissioned to figure it out.

Mas musica: Jaguares won't be the only popular rock band from Mexico in town during the next week. Cafe Tacuba, a critically acclaimed act from Mexico City, headlines the House of Blues on Wednesday night, with support from Los Angeles-based Latin rock outfit Los Abandoned.

Doors to the 21-and-over show open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $22 to $35.

On sale

Aretha Franklin performs at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sept. 4. Tickets are $50, $75 and $150 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the MGM Grand box office, at Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 and at www.ticketmaster.com.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers play The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on Aug. 16. Tickets are $100 and $150 and go on sale at noon Saturday through the Hard Rock box office and Ticketmaster.

Luis Miguel stops at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Sept. 16. Tickets are $52.50 to $157.50 and go on sale at 1 p.m. today through the Mandalay Bay box office and Ticketmaster.

Nickelback lands at Rain at the Palms on Aug. 25. Tickets are $45 to $100 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday through the Palms box office and Ticketmaster.

The "Hot Summer Nights" tour, featuring Al Jarreau, Cassandra Wilson and the Rippingtons, touches down at Primm's Star of the Desert Arena on Aug. 27. Tickets are $32.45 to $43.45 and are on sale now through Ticketmaster.

Dinosaur Jr. brings its reunion tour to the House of Blues on Aug. 13. Tickets are $22 and $30 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday through the House of Blues box office and Ticketmaster.

Already scheduled to play a sold-out House of Blues show on Aug. 21, Slipknot has added an Aug. 22 date at the venue. Tickets are $40 and $50 and are on sale now.

Nas returns to the House of Blues with opening act the Chapter on July 28. Tickets are $27 to $40 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Carlos Vives plays the House of Blues on Sept. 7. Tickets are $35 to $55 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Maldita Vecindad headlines the House of Blues on July 20. Tickets are $20 and $27 and are on sale now.

Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Alan White take advantage of a break in Yes' touring schedule to team for an Aug. 6 date at the House of Blues. Tickets are $37 to $57 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday.

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