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LOS LOBOS

Rock The Garden Amphitheatre

June 11th, 2026 Review by Bruce R Kilgour

On a beautiful June evening in Orange County, Los Lobos made their Garden Amp debut in front of a sold-out crowd of devoted fans.

It is hard to believe that there are still Southern California stages the Grammy-award winning, East Los Angeles band has not performed on, but this venue was a perfect choice.

The night began with a 50-minute set by the popular local cover band Family Style, an extremely tight outfit that kept the crowd dancing with their well-crafted set of ‘70s  and ‘80s funk and R&B hits.

Los Lobos’ four core members – David Hidalgo (vocals, guitar), Louie Pérez (drums, guitar), Cesar Rosas (vocals, guitar), and Conrad Lozano (bass) – have stayed together for 53 years. Saxophone and keyboard player Steve Berlin has been around almost as long having joined in 1982. Playing together this long certainly affords them the chance to veer from their prepared setlist, and this reviewer has seen them do this at every show.

The list showed them opening with two frequently performed cover songs, “Flat Top Joint” (The Blasters) and “Love Special Delivery” (Thee Midniters), however Los Lobos came out to a huge roar from the crowd and launched into “Why Do You Do” from their 1983 EP “…And a Time to Dance.” Pérez explained to me post-show that they made a last-minute decision “to go old school!”

Evident from the start was the fact that the three guitarists intended to play loud and fast on this evening, with Rosas using his wah-wah pedal extensively and Pérez playing far more lead solos than we have seen in a while.

“Will the Wolf Survive?” and “Set Me Free (Rosa Lee)” from their first two LPs followed, then a rollicking version of the Ritchie Valens classic “Come On, Let’s Go.” Next up was the first Spanish language segment of the show with “Chuco’s Cumbia” and “La Vengaza de Los Pelados.” Pérez brought out his jarana – a small guitar-like Mexican instrument – for both songs.

Their cover of Sublime’s “Pawn Shop” was next, and the crowd was treated to a guest appearance of Hidalgo’s grandson Luca Savaglio on drums, giving Lobos drummer “Fredo” Ortiz a short break.

The band played a short snippet of “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” while special guest Sammy Avila set up at Berlin’s keyboard. Avila is a well-known and popular Orange County keyboardist most known for his long tenure in blues guitarist Walter Trout’s band, and sat in for “Evangeline” and a short version of “Oye Cómo Va.”

The Mexican bolero “Sabor a Mi” and ranchera “Volver, Volver” followed, with Hidalgo switching from guitar to accordion. A raucous cover of “I Got Loaded” was next, then it was back to the first album for “Don’t Worry Baby.”

The main set closed with a furious extended version of “Mas y Mas” that featured blazing guitar solos from Rosas, Pérez, and Hidalgo. Rosas said good night and praised the venue with a promise to return someday.

Los Lobos quickly returned to the stage for a lively “Georgia Slop,” the 1959 Jimmy McCracklin single they have covered for over 40 years. Not surprisingly, the crowd wanted “La Bamba,” and they got it (with a snippet of “Good Lovin’” in the middle) with Avila once again joining the festivities.

Los Lobos will be on tour all year, with many dates seeing them joined by Los Lonely Boys. Their next California shows are up north in July and August, and surely some local shows will be added to their calendar.

Fifty-three years on, Los Lobos are an American musical treasure!

SHOW PHOTO GALLERY

by Todd Markel Rock Images

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