More Hispanic than hippie — Banhart at the Belly Up

Devendra Banhart brought his multilingual show to the Belly Up, and from what I could see in the dim lighting and from behind some girls iPad (really, people?), he appeared in fine, if restrained form.

Opening act Rodrigo Aramante strolled onto the stage with his guitar and wooed the crowd as only one can in that romantic, Brazilian love-song way. Aramante later joined Banhart’s band on vocals, keyboard, and slide guitar.

Banhart opened on acoustic guitar with "A Sight to Behold," and then sprinkled a couple of songs from the just released Mala with crowd favorites "Little Yellow Spider" and "At the Hop." The band then joined him for "Fur Hildegard von Bingen" and "Mi Negrita," both from the new album, and the remainder of the 90-minute set mixed classics and new cuts, mostly sung in Spanish. "Seahorse" was one of the few rockers in a night of mostly tender, stripped-down moments and less freaky folk-rock.

Walking through the sold-out club and listening to practically everyone singing along to "Quedate Luna" and other Spanish serenades, it would appear the Banhart fan base has become decidedly more Hispanic than hippie, Que no?

• Concert: Devendra Banhart
• Date: May 9
• Venue: Belly Up
• Seats: General