Psychedelic indie-rock band Chicano Batman returned to Downtown Fresno and delivered an energetic performance at Tioga-Sequoia Brewery on Thursday Oct. 24.
Fresno is one of Chicano Batman’s “Tanto Arriba Como Abajo” tour stops and one of its final shows, as the band announced it will go on an indefinite hiatus at the end of this year.
Having played in Fresno throughout the years, as far back as April 2014 and most recently in May 2022, Chicano Batman is no stranger to the city.
This was proven by the sold out show. With the line to enter wrapped around the block, many fans arrived in Chicano Batman merch, with one woman wearing a full on Batman mask.
Joshua Gonzalez, Adrian Sandoval, Noe Garcia and Josue Sanchez traveled together from Turlock to attend the show after seeing an ad for it on TikTok.
“It’s just a fun time,” Sandoval said. “You get to connect with people who have the same interests as you and meet new people and just put yourself out there. You know, get out of your inner circle and inner shell.”
After listening to the lineup on their drive to Fresno, the group agreed they were most excited to hear “Itotiani.”
This time around the band brought along opening acts Tropa Magica, Thee Sinseers and The Altons, who brought their vibes from Los Angeles to Fresno through psychedelic cumbias and soulful blues, respectively.
Each set the vibe perfectly for the night as attendees swayed along to songs, while others chatted with friends over drinks and even shared cigarettes. A sort of strange yet kind gesture to see, suggesting a welcoming environment.
Finally, Chicano Batman kicked off their set with a passionate performance of “Beautiful Daughter,” a newer track from their most recent album “Notebook Fantasy” released on March 29.
From there, the band played older favorites like “Freedom is Free” and “Magma.” Singer Bardo Martinez, an expressive and energetic performer, often interacted with the crowd by jumping onto the barricade, asking them to make some noise and cracking jokes.
Given the band’s Latin roots and political nature, it only made sense that bassist, Eduardo Arenas, made some comments on current political affairs, which the crowd applauded.
“Están matando gente inocente. Free Palestine. Free Palestine. Free Palestine. Ch**gan a su madre Trump, Biden and Harris. All of them,” he said, before taking over for Martinez to sing.
It was Arenas’ performance of “La Manzanita,” a more upbeat and cumbia styled song, that helped get the crowd moving some more.
Toward the end of the show, Martinez reminded everyone it will probably be their last time seeing the band together for a while, therefore they should be more hyped.
“Time to let loose. Fresno, what you got? Ain’t this s*** [beat] hard? I gotta let it rock for a moment,” he said before getting into the song “Color my Life.”
Afterward and in a move, seemingly done to get more crowd engagement, Chicano Batman members left the stage almost abruptly to which the crowd disapproved, begging for another song.
“Otra. Otra. Otra,” the crowd chanted before the band reemerged with a few more songs, ending their set with “Black Lipstick,” one of their most popular songs.
After their hour-long set, Chicano Batman thanked Fresno for the last time and exited the stage. Minutes later, as attendees left or wandered around, Arenas appeared in the beer garden lobby.
On his way to grab some water, he stopped to meet a few fans, take pictures and sign autographs for a growing crowd before apologizing for having to leave so soon.
Erika Duque, Fresno City College student, was one of these few lucky fans. In her hands, she held a white Chicano Batman shirt, purchased the first time she saw the band here in 2022, now with Arenas’ signature.
Aware of their upcoming indefinite hiatus, Duque expressed her feelings on it.
“It’s pretty sad because when I look back at them, I didn’t know anything about them, my first time at their concert and now looking back, I’m like, oh, wow they really go back into the depth of Chicano, Latin history and they reflect it in their songs as well,” she said. “Like, they also said Free Palestine and they were going all out. I was like wow they’re really inspiring.”
From The Altons performance, which she really loved, somehow ending up front row for Chicano Batman’s set and unexpectedly meeting their bassist, Duque rated the show a 10/10 and recommended everyone give the band a listen.
Chicano Batman ends their tour throughout California the first week of November in Los Angeles. Though it’s unclear if the band will return, it’s certain Fresno fans will miss the band dearly.
