Metal Horns Are Making a Comeback

Last night, yin and yang kept coming to mind as we watched Rodrigo y Gabriela. From the first song, their opposite, yet interdependent styles of playing guitar became apparent. Her: Manic, creative energy that threatened to incinerate her guitar. Him: Intense, with a laser focus and skilled attention to detail that kept the performance grounded. Above all, both are consummate musicians who have retained their love for their art. Their excitement was contagious, but when they played it was as if they needed no audience. Rocking the shit out of their guitars is what they live for.

That, and peppering every sentence with some version of the F word while throwing up devil horns.

Rodrigo told the audience that they don't have a set list for each night, because it gets boring. So he asked for requests. Cries of "Ixtapa," "Orion" and other favorites were hollered at the two guitarists. We couldn't help but roll our eyes at the jackass behind us, who had no imagination and went right to "Stairway." Had to chuckle at the guy yelling "Freebird," because for this show, it seemed apropos.

Explaining their rescheduled tour away in one sentence - "We were on a forced holiday because of the fuckin' business department" - the two got right down to business. Folded into songs from their self-titled debut were short snippets from Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water," Metallica's "Enter Sandman," The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army," and Rage Against the Machine's "Bombtrack."

We felt uplifted by their music. The passion they have for their craft and the chops with which they attack it were electrifying. We were dying to see the fingerwork and were amazed when closeups of their guitars were projected onto the backdrop behind the duo.

Gabriela's intensity in providing harmony/percussion to Rodrigo's melodies is a sight to behold. Her guitar playing was ferociously fast, as she simultaneously kept the beat by tapping her guitar. The picking/popping combo happened so fast that at times her hand appeared to have no bones. The shit was like something out of Gumby and it was fucking amazing.

One of the show's highlights was their version of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here." We're a sucker for a "moment," and this was definitely a big one. As they played, the house lights shined on the audience and we all sang along. It was the closest this Phillyist has come to church since the early '90s.

We see a lot of shows, and there's an element of bullshit that's been seeping in. Sometimes it seems like musicians can barely put on a show because they're so busy blowing themselves. For us, last night's performance was a return to authenticity.

Image credit: Flickr user Mr Ush