Mexico's Mana Stronger Than Ever Julio Lara - Daily Journal
go to original April 30, 2012

To properly judge a Maná concert is to run into a giant wall of repetitive — in a career that has lasted more than 25 years, every single word imaginable to describe how epic and genius the quartet from Jalisco Mexico is has been exhausted.

For a writer, one that has experienced his fair share of Maná concerts, this can be a huge problem - unfortunately, the thesaurus only lists ten or so different ways to say “awesome.”

Friday’s show at the Oracle Arena in Oakland only further adds to this dilemma. Of the 24-song set that lasted a little more than two hours, five of them were off of “Drama y Luz,” their newest No. 1 album, and thus, longtime Maná fans were probably getting their first taste of these renditions live. Such has been the success of their latest project, one that took home five Billboard Music Awards last Thursday, that in order to avoid sounding repetitive, perhaps it’s a decent idea to focus on those and write a good overview of the show.

But the truth is, a review like that would miss the point entirely because Maná’s magic lies in a God-given gift to make the old feel new —  in having you re-live those moments in your life when their songs served as your personal background music. The band didn’t pull any new punches for their show in Oakland. Frankly, if you’ve heard “Oye Mi Amor” or “Me Vale” once, you’ve heard them a thousand times.

And yet somehow, Maná still (after thousands and thousand of live shows) has the power to make you feel what you felt after your first kiss, your first heartbreak, your first encounter with the idea of true love.

What other band in Latin music can do that?

The answer to that is: Not many.

There is a lot that Maná can do that other bands can’t. For one, they sell out concerts like no other. In this their latest go-around of planet Earth, Maná has managed to set new attendance records that boggle the mind. The first stretch of shows in the “Drama y Luz” tour sold out four straight shows at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Upon their return to the United States following stops in Europe, South and Central America, the band sold out two more shows in L.A., setting a new record for the most sell outs at the famed arena — the new mark now stands at 11.

Filling the Oracle to its max was no problem for Maná. And judging by the shouts, screams, whistles, singing and dancing of the 16,000-plus on Friday night, blowing the ceiling off of the East Bay venue was just as easy.

I wonder how much a new arena roof runs for these days?

Maná gave their fans what they wanted right out of the chute, coming out to their most recognizable hit, “Oye Mi Amor,” to get the party started off with a kaboom. They followed that with a couple of classics, “Dejame Entrar” and “De Piez A Cabeza.”

It remains very interesting to see how Maná fans respond to the band’s latest material though. Now a year removed from “Drama y Luz” hitting the stores, Maná has found success in songs like “Lluvia Al Corazon” and “El Verdadero Amor Perdona.” But the transition from radio airplay to live show hasn’t necessarily been the smoothest. It’s not a stretch to say there was a noticeable difference in ambiance when Maná played choices from their latest project; which is a shame because as the band grows older, their music deepens and gets wiser. No longer are they just a Rock en Español band — their music and its necessity to expand beyond that label exists in an entirely different artistic realm.

Maná isn’t naïve to this concept though. While their initial shows throughout the U.S. wove their newest material in the middle of their set, it appears the band chose to present those renditions early, thus packing the back end of their concert with the songs everyone came to hear.

“Mariposa Traicionera” and “Clavado En Un Bar” fall into that category. Following that, Maná brought up a contest winner to jam alongside Alex Gonzalez’s timeless “Me Vale” which then gave way to a 10-minute drumgasm.

Gonzalez’s solo was the set-up for perhaps the most magical part of the evening. Maná set up a mini stage towards the back of the arena where front man and voice Fher Olvera, with guitarist Sergio Vallin, appeared to lead the entire house in a seven-song acoustic medley of their best songs. “Te Llore Un Rio,” “Cachito” and “Eres Mi Religion” were part of that mix. Gonzalez and bassist Juan Calleros joined for the latter half, and for my money, Maná and their 16,000 fans stopped time with “Si No Te Hubieras Ido.”

It was one of the most uplifting three-minutes of concert I’ve ever witnessed.

The night would have been just fine had it ended there, but Maná finished their initial set with “El Muelle De San Blas” and such was the crowd’s reaction that they stayed on stage for their first encore, “Rayando El Sol.”

The noise in the Oracle reached a deafening pitch as Maná said their first farewell, prompting immediate response by the foursome, coming out to “Corazon Espinado.”

The historic band said good-bye with “Labios Compartidos” from their 2007 album, “Amar Es Combatir” and fans filed out of the Oracle with satisfaction plastered on their faces, already anticipating Maná’s return to the Bay Area in September.

We’ll run through that wall when we get there.

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