Guitar heroes Rodrigo y Gabriela give it all they got at the City National Civic

Rodrigo y Gabriela //
City National Civic – San Jose
August 9th, 2016 //

Mexican acoustic guitar heroes Rodrigo y Gabriela headlined the City National Civic earlier this month as part of their 2016 world tour.

While there were no special guests like Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, who performed with the duo a few days later in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl, fans didn’t leave disappointed after hearing a 90-minute set that consisted of a few classics and some new tunes.

During the show, Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero announced that they didn’t have a setlist prepared for the evening but instead, would be playing songs they had been working on while on tour before heading back to “the office,” aka their recording studio. Sánchez, to be expected, brought his heavy-metal riffs to the stage while Quintero showed off her classic sound and hummingbird-like hand work. The show proved to be one big party, with Sánchez and Quintero even inviting some audience members onto the stage to dance.

Sánchez dug into a few covers for fun, honoring such legendary rock bands as Led Zeppelin and Red Hot Chili Peppers, but during the encore, him and his partner also paid tribute to the 43 students who died in a mass murder nearly two years ago in Mexico, flashing a screen at the back of stage that said “Ayotzinapa Somos Todos” in remembrance of them.