Review of the Tito and Tarantula gig in Bihac, Bosnia, 12th July 2008

TITO & TARANTULA, BIHAĆ, BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA, 12^TH JULY 2008

The legendary band Tito & Tarantula, most known for its flirtations with the silver screen (Tarantino’s and Rodriguez’ masterpieces, respectively) visited Bosnia again in July this year, when they presented the newest album “Back Into The Darkness” to the audience eager to see their Mexican-American vampires after several years.

The twelth July night gave perfect conditions for the show, and around one thousand visitors were present on the plateau next to “Dom armije” to see Tito & Tarantula in action. Lead by the latin rocker Tito Larriva, the band felt fresh and rejuvenated even after more than 15 years in the music and movie business, and not in a small part thanks to Caroline “Lucy La Loca” Rippy who became the new bass player of the band last year. Going through their rich repertoire, Tito & Tarantula offered a classic rock’n’roll show spiced up with rockabilly, latin, surf, dark and various other elements that certainly proved once more this music is that of a cult predicate. Special moment, almost a turning point to a more playful, crossing-the-edge part of the show happened during the monumental “After Dark” when Tito helped some of the audience up to the stage where they all jumped and danced to the captivating extended version of this song. Alfredo Ortiz behind the drums and guitarist Steven Hufstreter gave a special seductive rhythm to this trademark song of the famous Rodriguez vampire flick “From Dusk Till Dawn”. “Cucarachas Enojadas” (“Angry Cockroaches”) was another high point, along with potential hits from the new album like “Machete” and “In My Car” that fit perfectly to an almost two hour long performance. The duration of the show certainly wasn’t enough for the rock afficionados from Bihać and surrounding places who chimed for encore and screamed “Lucy! Lucy!” in a frenzy. The enormous amount of fun that the band had on stage passed onto the audience and along with some amazing melodies that transformed the night into a haunted time between dusk and dawn, it was the best gift Tito & Tarantula could have given to their Bosnian fans.

The fantastic performance ended in band members saying their thank-yous on Bosnian, and albeit the gig ended, partying continued on the aftershow organised in “Una” theatre with the band mingling around before their trip to Sarajevo for the next show. Bihać was an excellent start of the Bosnian leg of the tour and Tito promised they will try to come again next year. Looks like Bihać is eagerly awaiting their return!