Hernandez Creates Magic With His Rock en Espan~ol

While some bands spend their entire careers trying to record the ultimate rock anthem, Jaguares leader Saul Hernandez seems to churn them out by the dozen. This made for a particularly majestic concert Tuesday at the Universal Amphitheatre.

Jaguares is actually the continuation of Mexican super group Caifanes, which in turn was nothing but the brainchild of Hernandez, a tragic, melancholy poet who appears to breathe rock ‘n’ roll pathos into every one of his moves.

The singer has the innate ability to give it his all in each performance, which becomes more poignant considering he suffers from a chronic throat problem that could potentially leave him without a voice. (Recurring benign tumors on his throat force him to go months at a time without singing.)

Stylistically, Jaguares uses the dark guitar textures of ‘80s British groups such as the Cure as a starting point, then marries them with a Mexican sensibility. A tune such as the nostalgic “Detras de los Cerros” is a fetching new page in the Latin American songbook, but it could not have existed without the Anglo pop influence.

The audience, clearly transported by Hernandez’s magic, chanted along to favorites such as the gorgeous Caifanes oldie “La Celula que Explota” and the sweetly decadent “Las Ratas No Tienen Alas,” from Jaguares’ only album.

Although Hernandez follows the traditional instrumentation of guitars, bass and drums, it would be interesting to see what he could achieve on stage with more eclectic sounds. No matter what path he chooses on his next musical adventure, the results are likely to rank among the very best of rock en espan~ol.