Hot Licks: The Summer Music Scene in Cabo San Lucas
The Daline Jones Group’s Sunday shows at Cerritos Beach are a staple of the local live music scene.
Like everything else in Los Cabos, the live music scene tapers off a bit during the slower summer season, as local musicians take well-earned vacations or head off on the musician’s version of the working vacation: the tour. But despite the volume knob being turned down a notch, metaphorically speaking, there are still plenty of great performers around to keep things cool on hot summer nights.
Hard-rocking live music remains a staple at many of Cabo San Lucas’s best bars and clubs—Cabo Blue, Cabo Wabo, Rockstone Tavern & Eatery, Cabo Lounge and Tanga Tanga, to name a few—and, in addition to livening up the downtown nightlife scene, local entertainers also provide the proper seaside ambience at some of the region’s best beachfront bars and cantinas.
Longtime residents will recognize the names, but for visitors here are a few of the best local bands to see this summer:
The Daline Jones Group
Singer Daline Jones headlines one of Los Cabos’ signature musical experiences: Sunday jazz at Cerritos Beach Club & Surf (weekly, 2–5 p.m.). Dig your toes in the sand, order a seafood combo platter and a bucket of ice cold cervezas, and watch surfers riding waves into the beach as Jones and keyboardist Diego Ramirez provide a tranquilo tropical soundtrack of Latin-flavored jazz. Corona commercials wish they could be this cool. The Daline Jones Group also livens up Médano Beach with Friday night shows (7–10 p.m.) at The Office on the Beach (forgo the Coronas and order bottles from local brewpub Rámuri), and Tuesday evenings at Club Cascadas (6:30–9:30 p.m.). For updated info and upcoming tour dates, visit the group’s website.
The Brian Flynn band performs at Rock & Brews in San José del Cabo.
Brian Flynn Band
Brian Flynn has shared the stage with a who’s who of classic rock stars – Sammy Hagar, Carlos Santana, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, and the Marshall Tucker Band, among many others – and was the long-time lead-guitarist for the Cabo Wabo house band. Words don’t do his guitar playing justice: he’s a virtuoso, with a set list that occasionally veers from hard driving rock n’ roll into acoustic country or blues territory. During the past two decades, Flynn has played at virtually every live music venue in Los Cabos (including a few that aren’t around anymore), and he’s amassed an extremely loyal following. The best places to see the Brian Flynn Band this summer are at local hangouts like Tanga Tanga (Tue., 4 p.m.; Fri., 4 and 8 p.m.), Cabo Lounge (Wed. and Sat., 7:30 p.m.), and Hooliganz Corner Bar (Thurs., 3 p.m.). For more information, visit the band’s website or Facebook page.
Despite the name, Los Rancheros Tristes are neither sad, nor ranchers. They rock the house at several local nightclubs, most notably Rockstone Tavern & Eatery.
Los Rancheros Tristes
Their name may conjure images of charro suits and Vicente Fernandez covers, but Los Rancheros Tristes specialize in good-time rock-‘n’-roll (although they do mix in some Mexican favorites and occasionally wear charro-style T-shirts). Spirited versions of rock standards that range from Hendrix and the Beatles to Def Leppard and Guns n’ Roses have made them a favorite at Rockstone Tavern, one of the city’s best new live music venues (it opened in 2013). In addition to their Rockstone Tavern & Eatery gigs (Tue. and Wed., 9:30 p.m.; Sat., 10:30 p.m.), they may also be found at Tanga Tanga (Thurs., 8 p.m.) and Cabo Blue (Fri., 10:30 p.m.). For more information, visit their website or Facebook page.