It was a hot Oklahoma summer night and hundreds of people were lined up at the Tower Theatre to see self-produced Chicano artist Cuco and opener, Triathalon. The audience was filled with Oklahoma Chicano/a youth who were waiting to see an artist who represents an aspect they hold dear to themselves through music.
Triathalon performed to a packed crowd and their lead singer, Adam Intrator, stole the show with his mere stage presence. Intrator walked on stage with the confidence and theatrical poise of glam rock a legend, even though the band’s songs have a Lo-Fi, R&B alternative sound to them.
His falsetto voice lead the band through a set list of songs from its latest album, Online, to hits like “Courtside.”
The performance was a mellow and smooth combination of sounds that were one giant lullaby. The show, however, did sound redundant at times with the same instruments being amplified with a select few guitar pedals that can be found in any Los Angeles alternative band’s gig bag.
Triathalon has a way to go when it comes to developing energy and diversity in sound during their performance, but each song was nevertheless enjoyable and prepared the audience for Cuco.
While waiting for the 21-year-old singer, songwriter, and producer to hit the stage, the audience was jamming to a collection of songs that sounded like they were hand-picked by Cuco. From Latin music to hip-hop to alternative psychedelic rock, the playlist could have been played at a house party thrown by Cuco himself.
Backed by giant LED screens that emulated galaxies and visuals of a 1970s acid trip, Cuco took the crowd on a journey with his drone-sounding, sensual vocals. He opened with new songs and sang his latest single, “Feelings.”
While watching him singing “Feelings” from the back of the room, he looked as if he was floating in space as he was in front of an led screen showing a galaxy while the band was playing smooth pacifying jazz in the background.
Cuco has a unique comfortability while performing and it’s shown in the way he casually hangs at his electric keyboard in front of thousands of people. He looks like he’s playing for a group of friends in his room rather than at a concert and his fans appreciate that about him, along with his ability to champion Chicano representation on stage.
Near the end of the show, Cuco’s friend stormed the stage wearing the Mexican flag like a cape and the crowd went mad. His ability to evoke energy from a crowd shows that he has a promising future as a performer and musician. It is clear that there are only more energetic performances to be seen from the young performer in the future.
