Revolucion Looks Like Lollapalooza of a Tour

It’s not that much of a stretch to think of Jaguares’ Saul Hernandez as the Perry Farrell of rock en espan~ol. Like the former Jane’s Addiction leader and Lollapalooza co-founder, Hernandez is a man of innovation and daring. Seven years ago, he helped organize Nuestro Rock, a coalition of rock en espan~ol and mainstream American groups that took place in Mexico City. The showcase was renamed Revolucion for its next two editions, when it also reached Los Angeles.

“By having acts like Maldita Vecindad playing together with Live and Adrian Belew, we wanted to break barriers and present some great groups, regardless of their language,” Hernandez explains, remembering the festival’s first edition.

Now he’s returning with Revolucion 2000, which may just be his most satisfying mix of talent. The 15-city tour, which includes a stop Wednesday at the Universal Amphitheatre, is certainly a big step up from the summer’s Watcha Tour, a carelessly assembled disappointment for anyone hoping to see an inspiring showcase of rock en espan~ol acts.

All of the artists on the Revolucion tour, including much acclaimed singer-songwriters Julieta Venegas and Lysa Flores, were handpicked by Hernandez and Jaguares drummer Alfonso.

“There was no marketing ploy behind it,” says Hernandez. “One afternoon, Alfonso and I sat down together and talked about our favorite bands. No matter how famous an artist can be, there’s really no point in spending a month touring with them unless you really like them.”

Besides Jaguares, Venegas and Flores, the lineup includes lesser-known bands Jumbo and La Gusana Ciega. Frequency, an unsigned local band, will serve as the opening act at the Los Angeles date.

So far, Hernandez is pleased with the results.

“We’re very surprised,” he says. “It’s like we’re recapturing the freshness of the old times, the idea of playing your songs live just because you’re burning to do it. These groups have a lot to offer.”

Many industry observers believe that Hernandez’s magic touch has brought to Revolucion a sense of purpose that was painfully absent from Watcha.

“It’s called the art of packaging,” explains Marc Geiger, who worked with Farrell on Lollapalooza. Geiger is the CEO of ArtistDirect, the company responsible for booking the tour. “Without denigrating the work of other people, I thought that most of the bands in the Watcha Tour weren’t very good. They were imitative, unoriginal. Of course, that’s a more subjective viewpoint.”

Even the people behind Watcha, however, think that there’s space in the market for two Latin rock festivals.

“There’s plenty of bands that need this kind of exposure,” says Kevin Lyman, one of Watcha’s producers. “These things increase the public’s awareness of the movement.” Both the Revolucion and Watcha organizers agree that these festivals also serve to bring the protagonists of the movement closer together.

“Take the example of [Mexican group] Riesgo de Contagio,” says Lyman. “During the Watcha, they became friends with Aterciopelados, who invited them to perform at a Colombian festival in front of 70,000 people. And the Anglo bands that came to see the Watcha now want to play with all of these bands.”

For Hernandez, this spontaneous camaraderie is the best part of touring together.

“I’m talking with Lysa [Flores] about writing lyrics together and with Julieta [Venegas] about maybe recording something. Spending all this time with one another has created a very pleasant ambience. Now we’re almost like an extended family.”

*

* Revolucion 2000, Wednesday at the Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, 7:15 p.m. $23.50 to $65. (818) 622-4440.