Serendipity is probably not a word that forms part of the limited vocabulary of the 45th President of the United States of America.
However, the odd coincidence of Calexico’s appearance in Donald Trump’s ancestral homeland on the day of his inauguration is only enhanced by the fact that the Tex Mex combo have entitled their show ‘Across The Borderline’.
Of course, given the long-term planning of this event this isn’t a direct reference to the much-criticised plan for a wall across the Mexican border. But the septet – helmed by founders Joey Burns and John Convertino – have reinforced their own multi-national credentials with the addition of several guests, celebrating a musical diaspora.
Opening with a trio of their own material, including an early high point, a muscular and brassinfused ‘Splitter’, the band quickly introduce their visiting friends, each performing bite-sized three-song sets.
The way is open for Mexican singer/guitarist Juan Cirerol, who brings exhuberant rock’n’roll to the fiesta, before Breton-Welsh singer Katell Keineg delivers a show-stopping ‘Gulf of Araby’.
There’s a break in what will be a 120+ minute set before our hosts return with another clutch of original material, dipping back into most recent long-player ‘Bullets & Rocks’.
Then, we welcome sometime JJ Cale collaborator Pieta Brown for some laid-back Americana, before the party restarts with Guatemalan singer Gaby Moreno’s lively ‘Fronteras’.
The sense of optimism is continued with behatted Camilo Lara, of Mexrrissey, whose well-intended MCing skills get a decent reaction from the crowd, though not as much as his declaration that Trump’s wall will be welcomed as “we don’t want Trump supporters in Mexico.”
A beautifully harmonised ensemble version of Woody Guthrie’s ‘Refugees’ would have made for a fitting closer, but tonight is as much about forgetting about world events for a short time and celebrating the music that unites all present. After all, serendipity is by definition a pleasant coincidence.
And what better way to bring together diverse cultures than music and dance – offered in spades by Calexico’s mariachi brass and their buoyant, uplifting melodies.