Emotion Overrides Flaws in ‘Noche Bohemia’ Show

There’s something disarming about seeing veteran performers struggle to achieve the impact on stage that they once took for granted. Although several weaknesses were present throughout the evening Friday at the Universal Amphitheatre when three Latin pop legends performed under the name of “Noche Bohemia,” the evening contained many highly emotional moments.

The audience was visibly moved when Mexican singers Marco Antonio Mun~iz, Jose Jose and Armando Manzanero walked onstage accompanied by Argentinian Raul Di Blasio on piano. Granted, none of these artists is exactly the hottest thing of the summer as far as Latin music is concerned, but every song in their combined repertoire has been a major hit over the years.

Mun~iz used to be the lead singer with vintage bolero trio Los Tres Ases. His solo career has been characterized by a gentlemanly, almost simplistic approach to the art of the ballad, which he demonstrated through touching versions of “Por Amor,” “Te Amare Toda la Vida” and the atmospheric bolero “Escandalo.”

A formidable composer with an uncanny ear for translating the most innocent aspects of romantic love to three-minute pop songs, Manzanero has always provided artists with stronger vocal cords than his with hit singles. A humble, diminutive man, he nevertheless interprets his own material with the same tenderness a father might exhibit when seeing his children after a long absence.

By far the most flamboyant artist on the bill, Jose Jose is a singer who has over the last 30 years achieved enormous heights as a romantic balladeer while fighting highly publicized personal demons, chiefly alcoholism. Though his voice is only a shadow of what it once was, the crowd was pleased enough just to see him onstage, and rewarded his mega-hits “La Nave del Olvido” and “El Triste” with standing ovations.

The Latino version of Yanni, Argentinian Di Blasio, was on his best behavior Friday. Clearly aware that he would need a couple of extra lifetimes to achieve the grandeur of his co-headliners, he spoke of himself as just another fan, limited the sentimental excesses at the piano to a minimum, and won over the audience with his trademark macho bravado and self-deprecating humor.