LEC's
inaugural year rocks!
By Paul de la Peña-Franceschi
From Cher, Tool, Santana
and Shakira to REO Speedwagon, and Styx, the Laredo
Entertainment Center (LEC) has consistently brought
outstanding entertainment from a wide variety of genres
to the border city. In its inaugural year the LEC
has made a lasting imprint on entertainment possibilities
in the Gateway City, South Texas, and Northern Mexico.
The variety of shows that have been staged at the
new multipurpose entertainment center have by my standards
been awesome.
While the first LEC concert was the rock band Tool,
the biggest and boldest show to hit the borderlands
was the Cher concert. Ms. Cher dazzled the sold-out
crowd with all the fanfare of Vegas and Hollywood
combined. Shakira, next on the docket, sold out not
only one but two shows, beginning her tour in Laredo.
The reviews for this concert were phenomenal.
Seven-time Grammy winner Carlos Santana with his timeless
music also rocked the Laredo community with legendary
favorites "Black Magic Woman," "María
María," and "0ye Como Va," to
name a few. Rockers and Latinos alike heard and received
Santana's clear personal message that "Apathy
and ignorance should be combated with justice and
peace."
I was excited from the get-go that STYX and REO Speedwagon
would play at the LEC, for these two bands span over
30 years in the music industry and are now considered
classic rock bands that can be heard every day on
QURE-95 FM.
STYX was excellent, touring with new keyboardist,
Lawrence Gowen, who ignited the crowd with "Too
Much Time" as the concert kicked off. These long-time
rockers were commanding in their presentation.
Promoting their new CD, Cyclodrama, STYX still put
out old favorites like, "Grand Illusion,"
and a medley of their hits, "Fooling Yourself,"
and "Come Sail Away," which moved the LEC
audience to sing along. With the war in Iraq on the
minds of most, Gowen's new offering, "Fields
of the Brave," brought tears to many, as video
of war played behind the band. The message of thanksgiving
and sacrifice was woven into the lyrics, "We
got what they gave…in the fields of the brave."
Singer Tommy Shaw was in great form, catapulting into
the crowd during "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye,"
which was written and sung by Glenn Burtnik. STYX
closed with "Renegade" in a shower of streamers
falling from the LEC ceiling. In all, STYX put on
a great performance that left the crowd wanting more.
The new CD Cyclorama can be purchased online at www.sanctuaryrecordsgroup.com.
When REO Speedwagon took the stage the energy seemed
to drop a notch. Booking two great bands one after
the other is tough enough, but having four hours of
non-stop rock proved a bit burdensome. Their anti-war
sentiments seemed to fall a bit flat as they recalled
images from the Vietnam experience, calling for "no
more blood for Americans in Iraq." They went
on to say," There is no other country in the
world in which you can express yourself than America,"
as they went into "Time for me to Fly."
They also performed hits like "Take it on the
Run," "In My Dreams," "Can't Fight
this Feeling," "Roll with the Changes,"
and probably the most popular, "Ridin' the Storm
Out." A band that has sold over 40 million albums
and has 13 Top 40 singles to their credit, they seemed
to lack the luster of earlier years. Regardless, the
crowd was welcoming and appreciative of this classic
rock band.
REO's latest compilation, REO Speedwagon - the Hits,
includes 14 re-mastered classics. You can purchase
the CD online at www.epicrecords.com.
The LEC has several more great shows on tap this year.
Look for another classic rock legendary Texas Band,
ZZ Top April 30, global Latino star Julio Iglesias
on May 3, hard rockers Def Leppard on May 27, and
The Eagles on June 10. For more information on purchasing
tickets and upcoming events go to www.lec.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
