Karlo X. RamosAfter Two Cancer Battles, Draco Showed His Rock Edge Has Only Gotten Sharper At House Of Blues.
When you talk about Draco Rosa, you’re talking about one of the most important and loved individuals in Latin music, one that has crossed music genres and found a massive pop appeal while at the same time keeping his rock ‘n’ roll soul intact.
After overcoming the odds, kicking cancer not once but twice, it was a great surprise to his fans to see Draco back on the road again on a tour that brought him to Dallas’ House of Blues this past Saturday.
Now in his late 40s, Draco started his career as a teen idol in the mid-’80s as one of the members of Menudo, probably the first Latin boy band at the time. It wasn’t until the ’90s that he found his rock and roll voice, releasing what are now considered two cult masterpieces Frio and Vagabundo. Both records garnered him great success and found him a place spearheading the Latin alternative rock explosion of the time.
Last Saturday Draco came through House of Blues Dallas with his current Lo Sagrado y lo Maldito tour, performing to a packed house. His performance was moody and passionate, but with a rock and roll punch. Heavy distorted guitars laid the groundwork for reimagined versions of his own pop-oriented work, filtered here through an undeniably rock ‘n’ roll prism.
One of the highlights of the show included a rocking version of “Livin’ la Vida Loca,” which he wrote and produced for his Menudo buddy, Ricky Martin, subsequently launching the heartthrob’s crossover career. All things considered it was a great rock show, crowd participation and sing-alongs dominated most of Draco’s hour-and-a-half performance as he recognized it passing the mic in a sense to the crowd to lead during the choruses at times.
