Manu Chao at Masquerade Music Park (Atlanta, GA)

By Rob Royall

Manu Chao, on his La Ventura tour, made his Atlanta debut on a perfect night at Masquerade Music Park last weekend. The French-born, Barcelona-dwelling musician has been lighting up crowds with his latin-reggae-ska-punk amalgamation in Europe and South America since the 1980s with bands Mano Negra and Radio Bemba Sound System. Only in the last decade has he begun to achieve recognition in the U.S., highlighted by appearances at festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo. Word has gotten out that he puts on one of the best live shows around, and on this night, the crowd appeared well-informed.

With a setting sun on the city's skyline as the backdrop, The Masquerade's back yard music park made the perfect venue for the night's performances. The crowd of a few thousand was treated to an upbeat opening set of roots reggae from local outfit The Rocksteady 5. It was a good primer for what was to come.

It should be noted to those who know Chao's studio albums -- but have never seen him live -- that these are two vastly different experiences. His albums may inspire you to go relax by the pool, while his concerts may inspire you to start a revolution. While Chao's multilingual lyrics are full of left-wing politics, it's more the emotion of the performance that gets people moving. The band came out and immediately got the crowd hand-clapping to a groovy reggae number. The feel-good mood quickly turned to feel-great when they abruptly transitioned into speedy ska punk, replete with fist pumping, chanting, and call and response. This slow-fast-slow-fast formula became the norm for the entire show, as the band never settled for long into any style. Over and over the crowd was wooed by soothing, acoustic guitar-driven world music, then worked right back into a fervor by the pounding rhythm section and racing guitars.

Radio Bemba Sound System has been known to include as many as 12 members on stage, including horns, keyboards, and accordion. But, backed by a stripped-down group of only bass, drums, and lead guitar, Chao was more than able to flex some muscle and make the show feel bigger than it was. This was aided by great stage presence, with all band members singing/chanting along, and the awesome guitar work and oft-cartoonish showmanship of sideman Madjid Fahem. Chao himself showed no signs of being 50 years old, while jumping around stage shirtless for most of the night and frequently beating the mic on his chest.

The crowd was appreciative and enthusiastic throughout and were responsible for one of the show's true highlights. During one particularly energetic song, a handful of fans made it up onto the stage and began hopping around and hyping up the band. Predictably, security made an effort to remove these guys from the stage until Chao motioned to them that it was OK. This led to upwards of 30 other people deciding they should join, and the band only played louder and faster, enthused by the onrush and the encouraging cheers of the rest of the audience. This lasted approximately 10 minutes and was a great show of kinship between a band, its loving fans, and a cooler than expected security crew.

Shortly after, the band left the stage, but they quickly returned for a long encore that left the audience more than satisfied. The group may have a tendency to repeat its best elements too often throughout the show, and would benefit from the more varied sounds other instruments offer, but nonetheless give an unforgettable performance. It is clear that Manu Chao and his band love what they do, creating an infectious quality that helps make this and any of his tours a can't miss.