Watcha Gets Its Acts Together

Walking into the third edition of the Watcha tour Friday at the Universal Amphitheatre, you couldn’t help but approach the five-hour event with trepidation.

The last two editions of the rock en espanol festival had left a bitter taste in the mouths of everyone but the genre’s staunchest supporters.

Disjointed and chaotic, the concerts showed little of the refreshing attitude and multicultural experimentation that make Latin rock such an appealing proposition.

Fortunately, things improve with time--at least this time.

Friday’s affair was a generally compelling one that boasted two truly memorable performances, a varied lineup and a brisk pace.

Organizers solved one of last year’s biggest problems (a sameness of sound) by cleverly combining groups whose aesthetic and stylistic predilections offered interesting contrasts when juxtaposed on a rotating stage (half-hour sets were performed by each of 10 artists).

Some of the transitions were exhilarating, such as when the hip-hop beats of Kool Keith dissolved into the funky combustion of Venezuela’s Los Amigos Invisibles, or when the tepid rock of Enanitos Verdes gave way to the savage sonic attack of Mexico’s Molotov.

The closest thing to a disappointment was Juanes, the Colombian singer-songwriter who has taken this year’s Latin Grammys by storm with seven nominations, including a best album nod for the excellent “Fijate Bien.”

A charismatic performer fueled by the desire to engage in a heartfelt communion with his audience, Juanes sounded a bit too contained to ignite the sparks of passion that define his album.

Only during “Podemos Hacernos Dano” did the singer duplicate the quiet intensity and sense of discovery that define the original recordings.

By contrast, the most affecting sets of the evening belonged to Molotov and Argentina’s Bersuit Vergarabat.

In recent years, the pressures of increasing stardom and constant touring had taken a toll on Molotov. The rock en espanol group’s performances had started to sound sloppy and indifferent.

What a change of pace a few months of rest can bring. Delighting the crowd with funky versions of “Voto Latino” and “Puto,” the quartet’s music had almost the same sense of urgency as in 1998, when the band first rocked the conservative world of Latin music with its barrage of adolescent rage and wicked sense of humor.

With the menacing propulsion of two bass players, and a drummer who does some rapping of his own, Molotov sounds coarse and unrefined yet instrumentally tight. If Beelzebub came to Earth looking for a little relaxation, Molotov would be probably be his favorite band.

Led by certified eccentric Gustavo Cordera, Bersuit Vergarabat is enjoying a surge of creativity, having recently released “Hijos del Culo,” one of the best Latin rock albums of the year.

The band favors a kaleidoscopic sound that combines the primal energy of punk and hard rock with the friendly vibe of Latin America’s working-class dances, from Mexican-styled polkas and South American cumbias to Uruguay’s carnival-esque murga .

Add Cordera’s incisive, politically rebellious lyrics to it and you have a complex musical personality that is endearingly unique.

Bersuit’s songs work on many levels. The festive beats and violent riffs are good for the mosh pit, but there’s an underlying melancholy to it all, a pervasive shade of wistfulness and regret.