I'm on my way to see Mana at U.S. Airways Center tonight and tomorrow night, whether the mainstream knows who they are or not.
As a freelance music journalist, I get to attend a great many concerts. Friday night, I was at Phoenix’s Chase Field to watch a Smashmouth concert after the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the St. Louis Cardinals. My radio station 98-7 The Peak (KPKX), where I am a weekend on-air personality, presented Smashmouth after the game. It was the first time I had seen them in concert in probably 12 years! They were still great, though a little older and a tad on the heavy side. But then again, so am I!
Sometimes it is easy to get jaded when you go to so many concerts, or to feel unexcited. Usually I do feel excited when going to any live show because I never know what to expect. But tonight I am especially excited to be attending the Mana concert at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix for Batanga.com because I have been a fan for a few years and I am finally getting to see them live.
Sharing my excitement hasn’t been so easy though. I am finding my white friends have no idea what I’m talking about when I say, “I’m getting ready to go see Mana tonight and tomorrow night and I’m so excited!” They say, “You’re going to see who?” Then I have to try to explain Mana to someone who has never heard of them.
Mana is one of the biggest rock bands in the world. If you’re Mexican, they are your U2, The Rolling Stones of the Latin world. The band has been around since the 1970s and like all legendary bands, has gone through many incarnations with members coming and going through the years.
More in part 2...
