Jaguares rocks the Mouse House with messages

Mexican rockers Jaguares more than pleased their fans Saturday night at House of Blues Anaheim, the first of two sold-out shows there this weekend, delivering a mixture of new and old songs that shined a light on social issues affecting the band’s home country.

The quintet has been on tour for about a year and a half promoting its latest effort, 45, the title of which refers to the 45 million Mexicans currently living in poverty. The disc, Jaguares’ sixth studio work, recently won the Latin Grammy for best group album for 45, while “Entre Tus Jardines” (“Among Your Gardens”) nabbed best song.

Kicking off the night with “Alquimista” got the capacity crowd roaring with excitement and reciting every word at the intimate venue. But by the end of the third song, “Amanece,” frontman Saúl Hernández (above) began to talk about Mexico –- chiefly his frustration with its government. It isn’t a democracy, he says; if it were, many of his fans would not be living in the United States away from their families.

“When you feel lonely, entrust yourself to God,” he said in Spanish as he kneeled down and kissed his guitar.
Screams and cheers erupted when the band –- now including former Maná guitarist César “Vampiro” López, new bassist Marco Rentería, drummer Alfonso André and former Caifanes keyboardist Diego Herrera –- struck the first note of “Mátenme Porque Me Muero,” from 2002’s El Primer Instinto. That got everyone singing in unison, as did another favorite, “Detras de Ti.”

Hernández also spoke about the femicides in Juárez, just across the border from El Paso, Texas, as well as current drug-related killings plaguing Mexico. He encouraged fans to make a positive change in their lives, thanking them again halfway through the two-hour-plus show while draping a Mexican flag around his microphone stand, which remained there for the rest of the performance.

After their 16th song, about as many as concert-goers get in a main set these days, Hernández told the audience, “We are tired. We are saying goodbye.” But of course these insatiable fans wanted more –- so Jaguares went on to play another 10 tunes, including “Por Ti Me Muero” and the danceable “La Negra Tomasa.”

BEN WENER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER