If you’re in the mood for a concert experience that is buoyant, life-affirming and sun-drenched, look no further than Colombia’s Andrés Cepeda. Andrés who, you ask? Welps, turns out Cepeda is a multiple Latin Grammy Award recipient and has been a mainstay on the Latin charts for nearly three decades.

Seen last week at Orlando’s Steinmetz Hall his two-hour long set was equal parts charming, hopeful and deeply affecting. Dividing the set into four parts, the show opened with a full band and featured a steady number of songs from his most recent album Bogota as well as some of his biggest hits to date.

The stage went black and the band retreated and Cepeda returned to the stage to say that he wanted to play a couple songs with just piano accompaniment that reminded him of home and his family. That kicked off a gorgeous rendition of “Bogota” and an intimate and stark rendition of “Para Que.”

The concert then went back to Cepeda’s roots and to something distinctly Colombian: a bolero set, replete with all band members wearing bolero hats. The songs were sprite, vernal and utterly rousing. Whether it was “Tengo Ganas” or “Besos Usados” the entire bolero set was the very reason you pay to see live music.

The full band returned for a final set featuring “Un Ratito“, “Una Flor” and “Piel Canela.”

Cepeda and band returned for a four song medley encore featuring “El Carpintero del Amor” and closing with “Se Morir.” In the end it was a vibrant, kaleidoscopic and deeply affecting evening of rock music, bolero, piano ballads and beyond. While some songs bordered on saccharine, others were arena-ready foot-stompers not unlike Genesis or U2.

As a front-man Cepeda was jocular, self-effacing and deeply humble. While the entire set and the in-between song banter was entirely sung and spoken in Spanish, the entire evening was a reminder that music truly is the universal language. Moreover, Andrés Cepeda is one of the more compelling live acts this writer has seen all year.

On Cepeda’s website features the quote from Billboard Latin: “The gentleman who conquered Carnegie Hall with his modern bohemianism” and that very much sums up what it’s like to see Cepeda live. While bohemian is not exactly a term this writer would use, modern and current definitely are.

Cepeda appears in Seattle this Saturday and Denver this Sunday before heading back to South America. Should he return to America in the near future, make it a point to put it on your calendar. You will most assuredly not be dissapointed.