The reopening of the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts brought a full house out on Thursday, March 19, with the Gipsy Kings, helping reintroduce the 111-year-old historic space to Oakland. This wasn’t just another tour stop, but an inauguration: a legacy act filling a legacy room.
There were mostly longtime fans, some of whom must have been listening to the Gipsy Kings for decades. The smell of nachos was in the air, with glasses of wine in hand and anticipation settling in before the Kings took the stage.
The band entered without much fanfare and quickly locked in: three complimentary rhythm guitarists, each of them offering backing vocals; electric bassist; keyboardist tucked in the background; drums carrying the drive; and a percussion setup that appeared to be conga-style drums with a mounted bongo.
At the center was Tonino Baliardo, whose lead electric guitar anchored the group, while younger bandmates carried the sound forward as living extensions of the Gipsy Kings’ musical lineage. With different branches of the founding members now touring separately, the project seems less a singular band and more an evolving collective, where musicians step in not just to replicate, but to carry forward the Andalusian sound and spirit.
The set leaned heavily on rapid rasgueado guitar work and cante jondo vocals: haunting, raspy, and rooted in Southern Spanish and North African traditions. Several moments opened into extended solos, most notably between the drummer and percussionist, who traded phrases back and forth. This rhythmic conversation, alongside standout vocal runs from Samé Rey, drew some of the loudest reactions of the night with shouts and cheers from the crowd, even from those still seated.
Lighting followed the emotional tone of the set: deep purples and blues for slower, more reflective ballad moments, then shifting into flashing reds as the tempo picked up and the room moved with it.
At first, the audience stayed mostly seated, clapping along, some tentatively rising from their seats. But the energy built steadily. Those who knew the words sang along, but it was just as clear from the dancing and clapping that people enjoyed themselves regardless of familiarity.
Still, familiar melodies surfaced throughout the night, including “A Mi Manera,” the Spanish-language interpretation of “My Way,” which drew recognition across the room. By the time the band launched into “Bamboléo,” the crowd had fully given in. Everyone was on their feet, clapping, dancing, and meeting the band’s energy. The encore, “Volare,” continued that energy through the final moments of the night, closing with Samé Rey prompting an a cappella chorus from the crowd.
In a space with as much layered history as the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, it felt fitting that its return would be marked by rhythm, movement, and shared memory. Joy like this doesn’t need translation.
Review and photos by Dog Gamut
