Lila Downs in concert, APRIL 18 @ Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Avenue. Doors Open: 7:30 pm, Show: 8 pm.
All proceeds will benefit The Circle of Women.
Reserve VIP tickets online (includes reception) – Click Here
Purchase regular tickets using Ticketmaster – Click Here
Tickets available via website or by calling 617-889-8177.
Reception with artist after show at the Boston Tennis & Racquet Club, 939 Boylston Street.
Ticket Prices:
- Ticketmaster Tickets – From $20 to $35
VIP Tickets:- $500 – Circle Benefactor (2 tickets to the show and reception, your name in the program, and an autographed Lila Downs cd).
- $200 – Circle Host (2 tickets to the show and reception, your name in the program).
- $75 – Circle Guest (1 ticket to show and reception).
- $50 – Circle Member (1 ticket to show and reception).
On her Grammy nominated release Shake Away and in her national March and April concert tour, Lila Downs takes listeners on a musical journey that’s both intensely personal and vividly universal. Recorded in New York and Mexico City, the songs range from the pointed «Minimum Wage» to the mystical «Silent Thunder» to a cover of Lucinda Williams’ «I Envy the Wind» in English and Spanish («Yo Envidio El Viento») versions.
Downs explains, «In the U.S, we’ve gone through a lot of fear. The idea was to heal, to ‘shake away’ the anger and hate. We also went through a lot of political trouble in my birthplace of Oaxaca, and sometimes we distance ourselves from the pain. We cannot forget or hide, but we must be positive. Since I was young, it’s important for me to bring different people together, race-wise and religion-wise.»
Indeed, it’s a rare gift that she gives freely and beautifully on Shake Away.
Lila invites the legendary Argentinean singer Mercedes Sosa on a duet of Lila’s song «Tierra de Luz» (Land of Light) about nostalgia for the motherland. Downs cut «Perro Negro» («Black Dog»), inspired by the tale of the transfigurational naugalisimo dog. The lyrics reference corrupt leaders in Latin America, and, Downs notes, «Some of our musicians are from Venezuela and Columbia; we share the same situations in our countries.» She’s joined on the song by longtime amigo Ruben Albarran from Café Tacuba: «I wanted somebody who has fire in their heart and can speak truth,» says Downs. «In our own countries, we’re afraid to talk about it. I hope my music encourages discussion about Justice. That’s what I’m trying to work on with Shake Away–getting out these demons that are biting away at my soul. People like Ruben add that ‘machete’ effect.»
Downs takes the well-known Fleetwood Mac gem «Black Magic Woman» and, switching between Spanish and English with the help of acclaimed singer/guitarist Raul Midón, imbues and elevates the song with jazzy tribal mystery. («The song reminds me of Hilary and Obama, now!» she says with a laugh.)
Downs, born in Oaxaca, Mexico, is the daughter of Mixtec cabaret singer Anita Sánchez and Allen Downs, a Scottish/English-American
