Original image by There Stands the Glass.
I dragged my decrepit carcass to the Guadalupe Center to catch Little Joe Hernández on Saturday, May 7. The fond memory of a 2019 concert compelled me to overcome crippling fatigue. The extraordinary energy of the 81-year-old known as The King of the Brown Sound reinvigorated my body and soul. In truth, my disposition revived even before Little Joe y La Familia performed. Joining the approximately 1,500 cheerful revelers at the free street festival was therapeutic. Supported by an elite eight-piece band and filled with feisty humor, Hernández made bawdy asides and chided the members of the audience who remained seated. Like Hernández, I couldn’t understand how people resisted joining me at the front of the stage. Hearing potent renditions of hits from 57 years ago by the original artist always represents an irresistibly bewitching opportunity to travel through time and space.