Jaguares isn’t on the edge, but it can move

Latin rock is so diverse that for every rock en espanol act out there you can easily find its equivalent in the wider rock ‘n’ roll tradition. Cafe Tacuba are the Beatles of Mexico. Babasonicos: the Argentine version of Franz Ferdinand. And so on.

Jaguares, on the other hand, is a Mexican amalgam of all the massively popular arena-rock supergroups from the ‘70s: from Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin to -- gasp -- Deep Purple and Boston.

Watching the band’s sold-out show at the Pantages Theatre on Thursday, it was easy to see how someone might be tempted to dismiss the Jaguares as a band whose signature sound recycles so many classic rock motifs.

That is, until you see Saul Hernandez in action.

The group’s lead singer and songwriter, the long-haired Hernandez has such a charismatic stage presence and passionate sense of purpose that he single-handedly makes Jaguares one of the most compelling live acts in all of Latin music.

Hernandez’s vitality was palpable from the moment he stepped onstage and launched into “Bruja Canibal,” the dissonant rocker that opens the group’s new album, “Cronicas de un Laberinto.”

When he sang a tune dedicated to the memory of his recently deceased father, you could feel the pain in Hernandez’s voice -- and his anguish about the uncertainty that lies ahead of him now that he has lost the man he described as his best friend.

Older Jaguares hits such as the sinuous “Dime Jaguar” and the gorgeous “Parpadea” sounded revitalized by a quintet lineup that includes crackling Latin percussion and the searing guitar work of longtime member Cesar “Vampiro” Lopez.

Jaguares may not be the most cutting-edge name in contemporary Latin rock -- but it is certainly the most soulful one.