Ozomatli gets all involved in concert

Four girls and two boys, none of them older than 12, were brought up on stage and given handheld percussion instruments to beat on while the L.A. funk band performed one of its concert finale favorites, "La Misma Canción."

The kids clanked away with energetic fervor, hopping up and down as members of the nine-piece ensemble danced and sang around them.

One boy, the smallest of the group, seemed determined not to let down his newfound bandmates. He whacked his assigned instrument, a set of Brazilian agogo bells, like his life depended on it, undaunted by the fact that his efforts weren't exactly flowing with the rhythm of the song.

"Give it up for the next generation, Tucson," bassist Willy "Wil-Dog" Abers shouted to the packed house, sending enthusiastic cheers through the audience of mostly kids, teens and 20-somethings on the floor and older fans, 30-and-up, in the balcony.

Ozomatli has long been a popular band in Tucson. The group comes through town at least twice a year.

Despite frequent visits, they still managed to make a two-hour set seem like 10 minutes Thursday with high-velocity Ozo classics such as "Como Ves" and "Cumbia de los Muertos."

Mysteriously absent were the popular tunes "Love and Hope" and "(Who Discovered) America" from the band's 2004 release "Street Signs."

In their place were several new tracks from "Don't Mess with the Dragon," Ozo's fourth studio album, due out in March.

The band paid tribute to a post-Katrina New Orleans with "Magnolia Soul," a Crescent City, brass-infused melody; and got hips swiveling with "La Gallina," one of several booty-shaking Spanish-language tracks from the new release.

"Oye baby/Oye mami/Donde esta la after party?" the entire group sang in unison, reciting lines from "After Party," the fan favorite of the night from the new album.

As is tradition, the musicians finished off their powerhouse set with a trip into the audience. Each band member, equipped with the same handheld percussion instruments the kids were playing minutes before, made his way to the floor forming an impromptu drum circle in the middle of the venue.

They then led the crowd into the lobby where they finished out their set and hung out with their fans, shaking hands and taking photos, under the warm glow of the Rialto marquee.

"Tucson is always a place we look forward to," declared guitarist Raúl Pacheco toward the end of the show. "It's always a good time for us to meet people from the desert."

Ozomatli at the Rialto Theatre Thursday night.