Tonight, Alejandro Escovedo will take a break from playing with a big band to give State College a more intimate type of show.

Escovedo will be playing at The State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave., as part of the State Theatre's Innovators Series.

Heinz Geissler, Escovedo's manager at the record company Texas Music Group, said this performance is different from any other.

"Usually he plays in a big band; tonight, however, he will be performing in a musical trio. Typically audiences do not see him in that small of a configuration, so this concert will be a lot more personal than his other shows," Geissler said.

The concert will center on tracks from Escovedo's latest album, Boxing Mirror, that was released last May.

"This particular album is a combination of folk, country and rock 'n' roll," Greg Gabbard, manager of City Lights Records, said. "The music and lyrics give off an extremely powerful and uplifting vibe."

Escovedo, who was named The Artist of the '90s by No Depression magazine, has been touring around the world for more than 30 years, but tonight will be the first time he has played in State College.

Geissler said the audience will be in for one of the best shows they have ever seen.

"In the 15 years I have been with Alejandro, I have never met anyone who has been disappointed by his performance. For an artist who has been on the scene for several decades that says a lot. The people of State College should be really excited to watch him perform," Geissler added.

The diversity and success Alejandro has had makes him different from the artists of today, and Joe Apfelbaum, State Theatre programming manager, said it will draw a large audience to the show.

"Of all the shows that we have done here, I have never been more excited than I am to see Escovedo perform," Apfelbaum said. "He is a beyond a legend; a great dignified rock and roller is truly the only way to describe an artist of his caliber."