Marisa Monte

Don't think there is a power failure when you suddenly find yourself sitting in pitch darkness inside the theater. This just happens to be the beginning of Universo Particular, the heavily produced show that Brazilian-born Marisa Monte — in her first U.S. tour in five years — organized to promote her two new albums, the semiexperimentalist Infinito Particular (Private Infinite) and the samba-heavy Universo ao Meu Redor (Universe Around Me), both released on the Blue Note label.

Marisa Monte has a lot of hard-core fans of mandolin-playing

Details

Marisa Monte performs at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, November 10, and Sunday, November 11, at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, 174 E Flagler St, Miami. Tickets are $38-$73. Call the box office at 305-374-2444.

Related Content

• Tonight! The Original Wailers Bring Reggae Pioneers to Revolution
  May 20, 2010
• Latin Alternative Music Conference, Day 3
  July 13, 2008
• Latin Alternative Music Conference, Day 4
  July 14, 2008
• Spam All-Stars Pay Tribute to James Brown in New York
  August 25, 2008
• Latin Alternative Music Conference, Day 1
  July 10, 2008

More About

• Brazilian-born Marisa Monte
• Ernest Barteldes
• Arnaldo Antunes

As she begins the opening number, sparse lights flash, which reveal the singer seated with her mandolin as she plays and sings. Once the stage is fully visible, Monte and her band perform the daunting task of blending the music from two very disparate albums into one cohesive set.

Die-hard Monte fans must be forewarned that this show is not intended to be a greatest-hits concert. The focus is mostly on new material, although she does play a couple of tunes from earlier albums such as Rose and Charcoal, Mais, and Tribalistas, the last of which she shared the spotlight with Arnaldo Antunes and Carlinhos Brown, both of whom co-wrote many of the songs on the new discs. The older songs, however, have been completely revamped to fit Universo Particular's format, so don't be surprised if there are few opportunities for a sing-along session. — Ernest Barteldes