On Sunday (March 16) the Vive Latino festival closed its 25th anniversary edition with an explosion of sounds, ranging from rock to alternative dance and metal, passing through ’80s pop ballads, regional Mexican music and electronic cumbia — all in a grand eclectic and multigenerational party that brought together 80,000 people on its second day, according to promoter Ocesa.
Zoé, Rüfüs du Sol, Sepultura, Mon Laferte, Keane, Aterciopelados, Edén Muñoz, Astropical, Draco Rosa, Porter, La Lupita and Los K’comxtles, along with a segment titled “Música para mandar a volar” (Music to let go) featuring Belinda and María José singing in tribute to the late Dulce and Paquita la del Barrio, headlined the event’s second day at the GNP Seguros Stadium in Mexico City.
The Mexican band Zoé made a triumphant return to the festival after a five-year absence, marking its only show of the year. Meanwhile, Mon Laferte led the charge for women as one of the star performers of the marathon day, making thousands sing along to hits like “Mi Buen Amor” and “Tu Falta de Querer.” Keane delivered one of the standout and most-anticipated performances of the day, underscoring the British band’s long-standing connection with its Mexican fans.
The Colombian duo Aterciopelados invited Café Tacvba’s lead singer Rubén Albarrán for “Adiós Que Te Vaya Bien” and paid homage to late rock en español icon Gustavo Cerati by performing Soda Stereo’s classic “La Ciudad de la Furia,” which vocalist Andrea Echeverri had previously sung on the band’s MTV Unplugged in 1996.
In an unusual turn of events, Kany García fell victim to a power outage on the Telcel stage, which interrupted her debut at the famous Mexican festival. The Puerto Rican singer-songwriter made the best of the situation by performing without a microphone, accompanied by her guitar and the audience singing along to “Confieso.”
On a day where women took center stage, ASTROPICAL — the new supergroup created by Bomba Estéreo and Rawayana — also stood out with its performance. La Lupita, a pioneer of the musical festival, welcomed back singer Rosa Adame to perform the band’s most iconic songs and pay tribute to guitarist Lino Nava, who passed away in 2024.
For the second year in a row, and thanks to a partnership with Amazon Music, concerts could be streamed for free through the digital platform. The 25th edition of Vive Latino also set a record for the festival, bringing together 160,000 people in total according to Ocesa.
Below are some of our favorite acts from the second day of the Vive Latino festival, as it celebrated its first quarter-century. For our recap of Day 1, click here.
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Zoé Comes Out From Hiatus to Shine
The Mexican band Zoé returned to the festival after five years, amid a hiatus that began a couple of years ago. During its hour and a half show, the group delighted thousands of fans with classics including “Memo Rex,” “Vinyl,” “No Me Destruyas,” “Vía Láctea,” “Labios Rotos” and “Azul.” During “Arrullo de Estrellas,” the audience accompanied the melody with the lights on their cell phones, creating an intimate and warm atmosphere, a gesture appreciated by vocalist León Larregui.
“Congratulations to Vive Latino on its 25th anniversary. What a beautiful night! It’s so nice to be here again singing these songs!” exclaimed the singer, receiving a roaring ovation from the audience.
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Mon Laferte Champions Feminine Power
With a new blond, short-haired look, the Chilean-Mexican star was one of the highlights of the festival’s second day, captivating the audience with her powerful vocals and stage versatility. The singer-songwriter performed her most acclaimed hits, including “Mi Buen Amor” and “Tu Falta de Querer,” which her fans sung along to quite loudly.
Ten years after her debut at Vive Latino, Mon Laferte reiterated that she is one of the festival’s favorite artists. “¿Me estás oyendo, inútil?” (Are you listening to me, good-for-nothing?”) she exclaimed — clearly paying tribute to the late icon Paquita la del Barrio, who coined the phrase years ago — while singing “Si Tú Me Quisieras.”
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ASTROPICAL’s magical debut
As if the the stars had aligned, ASTROPICAL had its first live performance on the stage of the Mexican festival — which could bode well for the supergroup. made up of Colombian duo Bomba Estéreo and Venezuelan band Rawayana.
The group brought its colorful celebration of electronic cumbia, reggae and tropical rhythms to Vive Latino, with songs like “Brinca (Acuario)” and “Siento (Virgo)” from itsself-titled debut album. They also delighted the audience with Bomba Estéreo’s ’10s classic “To My Love.”
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’80s Pop Conquers Rock Lovers
This year, the festival included a segment called “Música para mandar a volar” (Music to let go), headlined by renowned artists from the 1970s and 1980s such as Napoléon, Yuri and Daniela Romo, accompanied by pop artists like Belinda and María José, and old-school rockers including Saúl Hernández (Caifanes) and Leonardo de Lozanne (Fobia).
Highlights included tributes by María José and Belinda — the former to the late star of the romantic ballad Dulce, with the song “Lobo”; the latter with a cover of the hit “Rata de Dos Patas” by the also deceased Paquita la del Barrio. Although Belinda’s version was less powerful and dramatic than the original, it still drew applause from the rock-loving audience.
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Kany García Defies a Blackout
Image Credit: OCESA / Liliana Estrada Puerto Rican star Kany García overcame an unprecedented and unexpected situation during her debut at the rock festival. She had barely begun her performance on the Telcel stage when a power outage halted her set, which had already started 15 minutes late due to related problems.
The singer-songwriter explained to the audience that she had asked the production team to make up for the lost time, but as she was performing “Confieso,” the power outage struck again.
In a gesture of solidarity with the thousands of people who had gathered to watch her performance, García picked up her guitar and began singing with no microphone, sitting at the edge of the stage with her guitar. The audience responded immediately by turning on their cell phone lights to illuminate the moment, and joined the Puerto Rican artist in her singing, creating a memorable moment.