Revisiting old times without living in the past

THE enclosed arena formerly known as Estadio Obras is considered to be the local temple of Latin rock in Argentina. Renamed Estadio Pepsi Music by you-know-who, this cavernous venue has maintained a certain rough, rebellious charm. On this unusually warm June evening in the midst of a cold Buenos Aires winter, the capacity crowd goes wild as it soaks up the sounds of Gustavo Cerati -- one of Argentina’s biggest rock stars.

Still, the fans voice their discontent.

“Soooda, Soooda.” The chant emerges from the cheaper seats, spreading until it dominates the venue. “Soooda, Soooda.”

The Soda in question is none other than Soda Stereo -- the legendary trio that Cerati founded in 1982 and dissolved in 1997 after an acrimonious split. Inspired by ‘80s groups such as the Police, Television and the Cure, Soda Stereo was the first rock en espanol group to conquer the Latin American mainstream, leaving a string of platinum albums and sold-out stadium shows in its wake.

Cerati’s fan base has embraced his solo career, which includes stunning moments such as the electronica-tinged 1999 masterpiece “Bocanada.” But they also want their Soda back.

“Soda was an influential band and a big part of my life,” says Cerati, who continues his tour with three performances in the Southland beginning Saturday. “But I feel that the music I’ve made as a solo artist is better than the stuff I did with Soda. If I didn’t think that way, I might as well kill myself.”

Ironically, Cerati recently did the next best thing to reforming Soda Stereo: He released an album that forsakes the experimental structures and electronics of his previous solo records in favor of no-frills, guitar-based rock ‘n’ roll. “Ahi Vamos” is one of the most intense, satisfying Latin records of the year.

“I wanted to make a rock record that had a more classic feel to it,” he says. “I finally reconciled myself with the kind of sounds that I had tried to avoid since Soda Stereo split up. I started to wake up in the morning wanting to hit the ‘refresh’ button. I was getting tired of people’s perception of my music. ‘Cerati makes cool records, music for architects.’ I hated that stereotype.”

Much like the music of Soda Stereo itself, the universe of “Ahi Vamos” -- the layers of fuzzy guitars, the subtle keyboard lines that pop up in unexpected places, the savage drumming heavy on the tom-toms -- is heavily informed by ‘80s Anglo music. There are echoes of “Synchronicity”-era Police, and the entire session is similar in sound and texture to “Sparkle in the Rain,” a crackling 1984 outing from Simple Minds produced by Steve Lillywhite.

“I feel there is a need for more straight-ahead rock albums,” explains the singer. “I modeled ‘Ahi Vamos’ after the epic feel of ‘70s bands like Queen and Led Zeppelin, combined with the rhythmic urgency of the ‘80s groups that I’ve always loved: the Clash, Television and Talking Heads.”

Unlike most rock en espanol, which relishes the fusion of mainstream rock with indigenous Latin formats, the album relies solely on the strength of Cerati’s songwriting.

“Cerati has a long history of exposing new and interesting sides of his musical self while still keeping the fans happy,” says Tomas Cookman, president of Nacional Records, the most respected label in the Latin alternative field. “I see his new album as a refreshing return to the guitar sound that initially brought him fame and millions of followers across the Americas.”

“Crimen,” the new album’s first single, is a ballad that begins with a simple piano pattern and quickly builds up its infectious chorus to arena-rock fervor. The song, one of the most conventional in Cerati’s repertoire, was written as a joke.

“I called it ‘The Robbie Williams Song’ and planned to leave it out,” he says with a laugh. “The musicians in my band urged me to keep it. The lyrics are banal, but at the same time they’re quintessentially pop, because they talk about feelings that we’ve all experienced at one point or another.”

Back at the Obras arena, Cerati concludes his two-hour show with a number of Soda Stereo nuggets. One of them is “Planta,” a mesmerizing tune from the band’s last studio album, 1995’s “Sueno Stereo,” and the crowd goes wild.

“I remember Andy Summers telling me about getting back together with Stewart Copeland and Sting a few years after they had split up,” Cerati recalls. Soda’s sound and aesthetic were so close to the Police that both Summers and Copeland have invited Cerati to tour with them, taking Sting’s place -- an offer Cerati has declined. “Five minutes into the meeting, he was already remembering the reasons why they had broken up.

“A Soda reunion? I’m not saying it won’t happen one day. Right now, I’m having too much fun doing my own thing.”

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Gustavo Cerati

Where: Wiltern LG, 3790 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Price: $30 (sold out)

Info: (213) 388-1400

Also

* Sunday: House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. 8 p.m. $35 to $37.50 (sold out). (323) 848-5100

* Monday: House of Blues Anaheim, 1530 S. Disneyland Drive, Anaheim. 7 p.m. $35 to $37.50. (714) 778-2583