By Vernon Hester<\/p>\n
On\u00a0Friday, July\u00a010, the first\u00a0day of the first Ruido Festival took place\u00a0featuring an eclectic mix of live music designed to appeal to every taste. The festival, with a\u00a0focus on alternative Latin music, took place in\u00a0Adams-Medill Park and is co-sponsored by Riot Fest. And no, you didn’t have to know Spanish or actually know who these artists were to have a great time.<\/p>\n
The laid back weekday afternoon crowd enjoyed an uncharacteristically warm sunny day (for this summer anyway) which found happy small children running around and lovers nuzzling on the grass. If the vibe of the event, which featured a Lucha Libre motif, felt relaxed in the audience, it was clearly not a reflection of the performances on the three stages circling the park.<\/p>\n
Early in the day, Ceci\u00a0Bastida, who has not played Chicago in years, kicked the afternoon off with a sassy “bang (she had some words for Donald Trump).” Though AJ Devila had suffered a back injury in the last week it did not stop him or his band (billed as AJ Devila y Terror Amor) from stomping through a furious set. Banda De Turistas engaged the by now\u00a0swelling crowd with a\u00a0performance of melodious rock-pop, then the duo known as Cardiel\u00a0demolished all that sunny, jolly cheer with a set of brutal Spanish hardcore metal.<\/p>\n
Compass moved the\u00a0early evening into high gear with their energetic and sometimes goofy funk-rap while the trio known as Denver tried to inject some light disco into the mix. By the time the sun started setting, it was clear that the lazy afternoon was over when co-headliner Enjambre tore into an action packed set that had the now huge crowd singing at the top of their lungs. The close of the evening came when the screaming, chanting crowd (“ZO-EEE, ZO-EEE!!!!”) got exactly what they came for when vocalist Leon Larregui emerged from a\u00a0cloud of smoke to deliver an atmospheric performance with his Grammy winning band Zoe.<\/p>\n
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For more info on Ruido Fest:<\/p>\n
https:\/\/ruidofest.com<\/a><\/p>\n