Ana Tijoux and Zuzuka Poderosa - Levitt Pavilion at MacArthur Park - 8/11/11

By Erica E. Phillips Fri., Aug. 12 2011 at 8:05 AM

Giovanni Solis

Ana Tijoux

Ana Tijoux with Zuzuka Poderosa
Levitt Pavilion at MacArthur Park
8/11/11

Better than ...the ol' boys club

The lady rappers who owned MacArthur Park's outdoor stage last night popped thick, multilingual rhymes at the mic -- all the while, we must point out, rocking some impressively rad leggings. In back-to-back sets, Brazilian-born Brooklyner Zuzuka Poderosa (in animal print) and Chilena Ana Tijoux (in dizzying geometric) launched the park's playful kids-soccer-filled afternoon into a thumping nighttime frolic.

It took mere minutes for Zuzuka to get the 1,000-plus crowd -- cozily seated on picnic blankets and soft grass, polishing off some Mama's Hot Tamales -- up on their feet. Uniformed kids in shin-guards and cleats stepped aside as peeps got light on their feet and Zuzuka's tank-topped-hat-cocked DJ whined: "I'm going, going back, back to Rio, Rio."

Giovanni Solis

Zuzuka Poderosa

Tijoux took the stage to sirens (her DJ's handiwork, not the cops') and instantly captivated, her charms seeming to work just as much on her bandmates as they did on the crowd. Jazzy keys player Andres Celis had a look of sheepish enchantment whenever he caught Tijoux's eyes, and drummer Abraham Yussef's thin arms seemed about ready to fly off as a giant smile overtook his face. It almost looked like his kit was pounding back.

A couple of times Tijoux channeled something that we felt like we'd heard before. When, during "Un Día Cualquiera," a bright electro-piano phrase duetted with Tijoux's throaty words, it recalled Eve's "Let Me Blow Ya Mind." And later, when she asked the crowd "How many people is in love?" as a lead-in to "Problema de 2," it seemed to be an homage to Lauryn Hill.

But her encore "1977" -- which rolls off the tongue so softly sing-songy in Spanish: "mil novecientos noventa y ... pshh" -- was all Tijoux. In a nice display of gratitude, Tijoux returned to stage with a video camera in one hand and mic in the other. During the final song she turned her lens on the audience, noting, "If I didn't do this, my grandmother would not believe." Then, into the camera: "Abuelita, mira." Right on cue, the chick behind us screamed, "What up, Gramma!" and everyone's hands went up.

Giovanni Solis

Ana Tijoux, DJ Dacel

Personal bias: This reviewer has always pronounced Ana's surname "Tee-ju," but the announcer introduced her as "Anita Tee-HO" -- which is it?

The crowd: Profesh ladies in cardigans, babies, bikers, dogs, hoody dudes ever-maintaining one flat hand in the air.

Random notebook dump: In the waning daylight of Zuzuka's set, we spotted some bizarre-o dancers -- you know, the kind that only show up at the outdoor shows? This included, but was not limited to: a skinny, old dude in acid-washed jeans and a poofy vest doing the robot; a long-haired hippie in all white (down to his chunky sneaks!) swaying; and a biker in running shoes doing a shoulder-shimmy.

And just so ya know: Tijoux's "1977" is going to be featured in this week's episode of Breaking Bad. Sweet.

Set list below

Tags:

Ana Tijoux, Andres Celis, Anita Tijoux, DJ Dacel, Erica E. Phillips, Levitt Pavilion, MacArthur Park, Zuzuka Poderosa

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Erica E. Phillips

Hey everyone, Erica here. I have to say to Mia, yes. That is exactly what I meant by "bizarre-o" -- people who make you smile and get you moving. Thank god for people like you, Tom, and I hope we get to dance together at another show soon. I am just as huge of a music fan as you, and I enjoy nothing more than seeing people really *feel* the beats and getting in there and getting down myself.

With my words, I was trying to convey a sense of the moment and describe the brave individuals who got the party started -- the kind of people who are absolutely necessary and beloved at outdoor shows, where the venue can be overwhelming for the more timid dancers -- and I sincerely apologize if I offended you.

To everyone who commented and read through these comments -- thank you for being bold and doing the music a great service.

Eliza

I think it's more bizarre NOT to dance when you're listening to awesome music and you feel the need to dance. I always find it lame when the crowd is clearly enjoying the music, clearly wants to dance, but they'd rather sit/stand and just shake their head, barely moving. It's ok, no one would judge you if you dance. Unless of course there's a music writer who think's it's bizarre to dance.

mia

if by "bizarre-o-dancers" you mean radical people with unbridled positive energy who encourages the crowd to get off their feet and move to the music (making for a refreshing break from the usually stiff, too-cool-for-school attitude at most la concerts), then i totally agree! ;-)

Beritamejia

you have no idea what kid of person is the bizarre-o dancer all in white, how dare you to describe people like that when you don't even know them!!!! I am one of the maybe 3000 friends the that guy has his name is Tom and he is a happy awesome guy.

Tom Chino Nguyen

Erica, I'm one of the "bizarre-o dancers...a long-haired hippie in all white (down to his chunky sneaks!) swaying". Just because I'm one of the few people who actually get up in front of the crowd to dance instead of say butt-planted on the grass does not make me bizarre! What's bizarre to me are why most people come to these shows with great live music in front them...artists who've traveled from far and wide from around the world, and working hard to get people moved by their music, only to remain static and unmoving. If you recall, I was actually the one helping to encourage others to get to their feet. It takes those of us who aren't afraid to stand out from the sheepish crowd to get the party started and crowd going.