Caravan Du Nord puts energy in the air

Published 7:31 am Sunday, November 22, 2015

Har Mar Superstar kicks off his set Saturday night during the Caravan Du Nord’s stop at the Paramount Theatre. More than 270 people turned out for the performance.

Har Mar Superstar kicks off his set Saturday night during the Caravan Du Nord’s stop at the Paramount Theatre. More than 270 people turned out for the performance.

The Historic Paramount Theatre had a certain energy in the air for last Saturday’s Caravan Du Nord show.

I tried for several days after the concert featuring Har Mar Superstar, Reina Del Cid and the Peter Jacobs Trio to put my finger on what — or why — I had sensed that.

Yes, the Caravan Du Nord’s latest show in Austin was its biggest yet, drawing in about 275 people — the most of any past show — but there was something more to the energy.

Email newsletter signup

Then finally the reasons popped in my head, and here they are:

 Unpredictability and potential

Now it’s no secret that the headliner, Har Mar Superstar, has a bit of a history for theatrics. He’s played several shows without much of his clothes and was once part of an on-stage marriage proposal/kiss with Macauly Culkin during a concert (This is no secret; just Google him).

In short: You didn’t know what was going to happen.

Now don’t worry — everything that happened on stage was innocent enough. At worst, it was akin to a PG-13, and I caught one or two swear words.

But still, Har Mar brought a great deal of …

 Energy

Har Mar’s show didn’t lack for energy. After the crowd remained seated for the Peter Jacobs Trio and Reina Del Cid, Har Mar called down the crowd down to the front of the theater.

Many people followed and many danced for much of the set.

My personal favorite, by far, was a boy who danced in the aisle. The kid had moves and was good and confident. In my mind, he gave Har Mar’s moves a run for his money.

Along with that fine young man, Har Mar’s fans brought a lot of energy to the set.

Reina Del Cid smiles during her performance Saturday night at the Caravan Du Nord.

Reina Del Cid smiles during her performance Saturday night at the Caravan Du Nord.

 Young talent

Reina Del Cid may have been an opener to Har Mar, but I think she and her group nearly stole the show.

After playing during the Austin ArtWorks Festival, Reina and her band returned to Austin to play a very well-designed set. After the smooth jazz sounds of the Peter Jacobs Trio (keeping their name despite playing with five members), Reina and her group started on a laid-back note by playing more relaxed-folk tinged songs.

But Reina and her group slowly built energy song-by-song until they finally capped the set in a rousing conclusion.

I must admit to not being extensively with her music coming in, but it was clear from the start that she and her band are in synch, and they sounded and played like a group with a lot of potential.