Saturday night we also went to see Bomba Estereo at The Howard Theatre as part of the band's Amanecer (which means to begin) Tour. We snapped the band, led by visual artist Simón Mejía, singer Li Saumet, drums/ percussion Kike Egurrola and guitar/ electronics Julián Salazar. The band is known for its unique musical genre, called Psychedelic Cumbia, a danceable Latin music genre with Amerindian steps and Spanish singing. Bomba Estereo came into their own in their sophomore album, Estalla / Blow Up, which led to its 2010 Best New Band in the World award by MTV.
Their success has continued with their third album, Elegancia Tropical, that led to the band winning Best Artist of 2012 by iTunes Latin Editor’s Choice and a Latin GRAMMY nomination. Their latest album, Amanecer, released last month, features another great party hit single, Fiesta, which Li Saumet performed in festive white feathers. The crowd erupted when she began with a slow paced version of its worldwide hit single Fuego, before increasing the speed to the fiery chorus that had everyone jumping.
Travis Holler & Alfredo Flores contributed to this issue.
