In late 2023, both Caifanes and Cafe Tacvba took the Latin American community by storm when they announced a joint tour across the US and Mexico together and fans flocked to Ticketmaster to get their spot immediately. While the Mexico City based band Caifanes has been around since the 80’s, their impact and influence in rock en español has been so monumental that it spans multiple generations and their tour mates Cafe Tacvba share the same reputation. In fact my first ever concert was in 2015 during Caifanes’s frontman Saul Hernandez’s solo tour at the House of Blues in Dallas. Also, one of my first shows after moving back to California was Caifanes’s performance at the YouTube Theater in 2021 which marked it as the first ever live event held at that venue. Although I’ve already seen this band before, I always get chills seeing Caifanes come up on stage as they carry a mythical feel along with them that no other group has been able to replicate. The name Caifanes stems from 40’s Mexican pachuco slang “cae fan” which roughly translates to “the cool guys” in English. Even after touring for decades, this band still manages to bring that cool and extremely unique persona on stage. 
As everyone lines up on stage, the band immediately starts playing the song “Nubes” from their album El Silencio which had the crowd roaring and singing along. Their fusion between 80’s new wave, jazz, and traditional Mexican music is quickly put in full effect as the band soars through the song. In the audience you can see people from all sorts of ages coming together to celebrate the band’s return to the United States. As the band opens strongly to the Hollywood Bowl, saxophone player Diego Herrera plays a brilliantly executed solo to end the song and transition into “Para que no digas que no pienso en ti” which allowed drummer Alfonso Andre to show off his drumming skills. As the set continues, the band brought out Cafe Tacvba’s guitarist Emmanuel de Real to accompany their Rodrigo Baills in doing “Viento” off their self titled album. The surprise shocked me and it was incredible seeing this collaboration between two Latin American giants in real time especially since it’s one of my all time favourite songs. 
As the night progressed, the band would perform songs from Jaguares’s (Saul’s band during Caifanes’s hiatus) such as “Dime Jaguar” and left long time fans enthralled by the addition. Eventually, bassist Marco Renteria had the venue roaring as he played the legendary bass riff that would start the song “Afuera” from the album El Nervio del Volcan. As the night came to an end, Caifanes would have one more surprise for the crowd as they conclude the first night of their joint tour and brought out a mariachi band to do covers of classic songs such as “Mexico lindo y querido” and “Volver”. Once the night was over, it became evident once more that Caifanes is one of the most important rock bands to not only come from Mexico but Latin America as a whole. Their multi genre discography and musical talent on the stage is what has brought multiple generations together to enjoy. Although The Cure was the band that inspired the youth across Europe and to an extent the US to wear eyeliner and bring in goth fashion – however Caifanes ended up being the group to bring the style over to Latin America with their Robert Smith inspired fashion and style.
As their tour continues to bring fans together, I am already excited for their next stop in Los Angeles as I will once again be able to scream along to their lyrics with countless other fans. Just below you can check out the photo gallery from the night’s performance on June 5th at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. As always you can follow Caifanes on Instagram for more photos and future updates @CaifanesMex.
Article & Photos By Hector Mendoza (@mendoza_photos)
