Los Angeles Band Ozomatli Rocks Portsmouth
Ozomatli rocked the Portsmouth Music Hall this Mothers’ Day night. The Los Angeles based band that combines latin, funk, rock, and hip hop genres together gave the crowd their money’s worth. The 10-piece band had everyone in the hall dancing.
The diverse crowd gave testament to the broad appeal of this group. There were college kids in polo shirts, high school kids in groovy dresses, middle-schoolers in Ozomatli t-shirts shaking maracas on the stage, and there were even a few folks who qualified for social security and they were all dancing together with smiles on their faces.
Ozomatli is known for their high-energy vibe and having the crowd involved in their music. Their set included songs from their most recent album, “Don’t Mess With the Dragon” such as "Magnolia Soul," a tribute to the citizens of post-Katrina New Orleans, "La Temperatura," a tribute to Los Angeles’s pro-immigrant marches of 2006, and classic Ozo songs like “Saturday Night” and “Chango.”
The band received an early break from musical legend Santana in 1998 when he had them open for his 1998 tour promoting his chart-topping album, Supernatural. Ozomatli has also won two Grammys, toured with the Dave Matthews Band, and also did the rounds with Lenny Kravitz.
Their concert style is a bit different than most. They certainly aren’t traditional concerts, they are more akin to parties. In a statement, Ozomatli forewarns fans about what they’ll be in for, “In your typical concert, musicians perform on stage while the fans passively listen in the crowd. Ozomatli will have none of that. The band brings the music to the people, pumping infectious energy and rhythm through timbales, turntables, and trumpets until the crowd’s energy becomes part of the carnival that is Ozomatli.”
“I loved them! It was so much fun! I have been studying for finals, but it was definitely worth coming out tonight to see them. They make you smile, the energy is amazing, and they really know how to play! The crowd they can draw is pretty diverse and impressive too,” said Ingrid Brofman, an excited student at nearby UNH.
The concert was alive with dancing and a singing crowd but it was halted for a brief moment when someone in the crowd was pushing a bit too much to get to the front. The group stopped the show, personally checked in on what was happening at the front of the stage, and asked everyone to respect each others personal space. Lead guitarist, Raul, then joked, “I thought that stuff only happens in L.A.!” and the band dove right back in where they left off. It was refreshing to see a musical group that was concerned about the crowd and really did want to ensure that everyone was safe and having fun.
When the show wrapped up about three hours later, the band climbed off the stage and brought their instruments with them amongst the crowd and kept playing from there. They then proceeded to form a massive conga line and moved all around the hall, singing, drumming, and playing.
The music was wonderful, the band was admirable, and it was an excellent concert. Ozomatli is welcome in Portsmouth whenever they would be so kind to swing by again.