Thievery Corporation at Belly Up, the First of Two Nights in San Diego

It is not often that music lovers are afforded the opportunity to see a noteworthy band in two great venues in a row. But that was the case this week, as Thievery Corporation swooped through San Diego.

Before playing outdoors at the lovely Humphreys By The Bay, the quintet settled into a stirring evening at The Belly Up.

Rob Garza oversaw the activities, standing central stage behind some electronics. On his either side were Frank Orrall on percussion and Jeff Franca on drums.

Roving at the front of the stage were Dan Africano on bass and Rob Myers, the latter switching between low slung guitar and cross-legged seated sitar. A revolving quartet of vocalists (Racquel Jones, Laura Vall, Mr. Lif and Puma Ptah) streamed on and off stage, providing several different styles for the ensemble’s eclectic international blend of dub, funk, reggae, trip-hop, chill and lounge electronic sounds.

With nearly three decades of activity under its collective belt, Thievery Corporation defies easy categorization. From their homebase in Washington DC, the original duo of Thievery Corporation (Garza and Eric Hilton) have been able to draw almost firsthand from the city’s international flavor. Citing in particular The Clash, Fela Kuti, Manu Chao (the latter two of which have direct connections To The Belly Up), Thievery Corporation incorporated its classic stew of sounds Monday night.

A great trio of songs was served up early: “Encounter In Bahia,” “Mandala” and “Lebanese Blonde.” Vall took the vocals on the latter and Lif on the former, sandwiching the sitar-driven instrumental with Garza’s scratching.

Africano’s bass provided the most mesmerizing element, a melodic lower-register tone that propelled nearly every song.

Jones brought sultriness to “Originality.” “Amerimacka” from 2005’s The Cosmic Game was another highlight, the deep dub bass pulsing through the club.

As the evening drew to a close, Jones, Lif and Ptah traded vocal jabs on “Warning Shots.”

The diversity of the sounds from the stage and the diversity of the crowd at The Belly Up made for a memorable evening.