Pop : Stirring Lobos Don’t Need a Hook

Last summer at the Greek Theatre, Los Lobos put on a 20th anniversary show, replete with guest stars and sense of occasion. This summer, with neither a significant anniversary nor new product to celebrate, it’s just another year in the long life of just another band from you-know-where, commemorated with just another spectacularly good Greek show for another delirious near-capacity house. If anything, this premier live band fares even better with no theme to its party.

The show has been restructured for the new annum, no longer commencing with a batch of traditional acoustic Mexican material. The Spanish-language tunes came fully electric and in small doses, mid-set and at the first encore call. It may be the function of playing to a hometown crowd that it was always these that immediately galvanized the 6,000 upright.

In any city less inclined to sing along en Espanol , the group’s expert blues-rock excursions and David Hidalgo’s guitar fireworks would function as fully climactic arena-pleasers. Little improvs kept much of the familiar material fresh. As Pete Townshend said: Got a feeling 21 is gonna be a good year.

Gentle-spirited Texas troubadour Jimmie Dale Gilmore opened with an engaging, well-received performance, mostly recent material.