The Argentinian pop-rock group had Houston dancing the leap year away at the House of Blues on Thursday night.
“Buenas noches, Houston! ¿Cómo estás esta noche en esta primavera que se resiste a venir?” asked lead singer and guitarist Felipe Staiti. “Estamos felizes de estar nuevamente en este escenario fantastico, en una ciudad tan bonita, llena de gente hermosa como ustedes.
Oh Felipe, you say that to all your cities.
Staiti was all smiles in gridded and a graphic t-shirt he sang over the crowd during “La muralla verde.” He kept walking to meet Valdala at center stage, a welcome trope that would continue throughout the night. Despite it being a Thursday night, los metaleros came out in droves. Many people wore black, but some people mixed in traditional pieces of South America. Long skirts, hand-crocheted shawls and embroidered bags mixed in with blue jeans and leather jackets.
The crowd skewed into the latter half of middle age, but it was easy to forget once the music started. Los Enanitos Verdes came onto the stage with no frills or fanfare, walking straight to their instruments and beginning to play under fuchsia spotlights. Bassist Guillermo Valdala to stage right in a classic black Led Zeppelin t-shirt and tinted glasses. The band opened with “Creo,” a song from the hit 1994 album Big Bang. There was a slight rush at the first few bars, but the concertgoers soon remembered who they were and that they needed room to dance and sway more than they needed barriers.
“Cordillera” got a lengthy rendition thanks to a jam session midway through the song and a guitar solo at the end. The song’s hype was slowed a little by some technical issues, but Saiti laughed it off with a jab at cheap Chinese products before jumping straight into the groovy, bass-heavy “Guitaras Blancas”.
“Hace 30 años, grabamos uno de nuestros discos mas iconicos de nuestra historia discografia, que fue Big Bang,” Satiti said. “Se que ustedes conocen muchas canciones de Big Bang, pero estas so algunas que no tocamos mucho.”
Formed in 1979 by Saiti, drummer Daniel Piccolo and bassist and singer Marciano Cantero, Los Enanitos Verdes Following the death of Cantero in 2022, it was unclear whether or not Los Enanitos Verdes would tour again. However, the band had weathered tragedy before, Following Cantero’s death in Sept., contracts likely forced the act to return to the stage sooner than one could comfortably heal. The band took the stage in Los Angeles on Dec. 8 fir their slot at the Besame Mucho music festival. Staiti took the mic for the first few songs, followed by support from living legends like David Summers, Rubén Albarrán and Noel Schajris for vocal support as the set went on.
Today, the band continues to tour with fresh blood on their stage. Bosco Aguilar rounds things out on keys while Jota Morelli keeps an impeccable rhythm on the drums. Arita Rodriguez killed it on backing vocals, allowing or perfect bridges between the end of slower songs to the beginning of louder ones. But that’s not to say Damian Castroviejo didn’t do an excellent job right beside her.
The audience member periodically screaming for “Amores Lejanos” got her wish a little after halftime, but the crowd was in for another treat. For those who don’t know, the strong Latino presence in Texas is heavily saturated by Mexicans. To honor the people, they played a medley of relevant songs under a canopy of red, white and green light beams, starting “Ay, Dolores” with a touch of an accordion to accompany Staiti’s guitar.
The reason why people keep coming out to experience live music is because of the human connection, the shared experience. “Por el resto” had people who had been too cool to move a moment prior screaming along with the type of energy only someone who had enjoyed the sting of another could possess.
The band delved into another jam session, the last of the night as Staiti extended an arm out to Vadalá during his bass solo, as if he needed any introduction. “Ahí abajo; un ser de luz, un extraordinario ser humano y el mejor bajista del mundo,” Staiti said.
Valdalá has had a long, successful career as a session musician, performing with the likes of Chayenne, Jennifer Lopez, Alejandro Sanz and Carlos Vives, to name a few, on top of his original music. The band closed out with one last jam session and band introductions before clearing out on stage right. But they would never leave the city without playing their biggest hit.
For the encore, Los Enanitos Verdes came back out to perform “Lamento boliviano.” Those who were halfway out in an effort to beat traffic ran right back in to howl along to the international anthem of heartbreak. The closer of the night was the soaring ”Mariposas.” Even after all these years, it was clear at a glance that Staiti still greatly enjoyed playing all the songs he’d written with his friends. More heartwarming still was getting to see him interact with people equally as passionate.
I am a multimedia journalist with a passion for guitar-based music – be that rock-n-roll, bachata, or anything in between. When not in a mosh pit, I can be found knitting, collecting CDs, thrifting, journaling, or attempting to incite chaos among feuding global powers. I hold a bachelors degree in Broadcast Journalism and a masters degree in Mass Communication from the University of Houston, making me twice the Coog you'll ever be 😉
