Last Saturday night, the virtuosic guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela (Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero) came to the Orpheum Theatre to deliver a fantastic performance of their most popular songs. The show opened with a solo set by Silvana Estrada, who quickly charmed the audience with her sweet vocals and gentle cuatro playing. Upon their arrival to the stage, Rodrigo y Gabriela immediately cranked up the tempo as they dove headfirst into their characteristically percussive acoustic guitar instrumentals. The setlist for the aptly-named “By Request” tour was a curated selection of fan-favorite songs spanning the duo’s entire career, as determined by poll. The result was a musical adventure, beginning with some of the band’s earliest songs and ending with selections from their latest, Grammy Award-winning album, Mettavolution. And to the audience’s delight, they even incorporated an arrangement from the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides soundtrack.

Rodrigo and Gabriela each had brief solo performances, but overall the show was defined by the harmonious combination of their talents, resulting in an experience few other musicians could match, despite the striking simplicity of their stage setup. Warm feelings abounded as the audience reciprocated the joy coming from the stage and transitioned from politely-seated to excitedly on their feet by the end of the concert. The “By Request” tour may be Rodrigo y Gabriela’s return from their longest performance hiatus in years, but their playing is as on-point as ever.