There was a feeling in the air on July 16th that Juanes, the Colombian rock and pop superstar, would address the urgency of the moment. Halfway through his set at the Hollywood Bowl, perched atop a platform on the audio/video booth in the middle of the venue, literally surrounded by a sold-out crowd, he made his call to action.
“Toda la gente ha venido de otros lugares aquí. Olvidamos que el amor es más fuerte que el dolor...Ahora mas que nunca hay que mantenernos unidos."
You could feel the collective relief that statement brought to a Los Angeles crowd that had lived under siege for over a month. Juanes, no stranger to meeting the moment throughout his career, made his appeal and then continued delivering what became an unforgettable night at the Bowl, as is custom at the historic venue!
It was Juanes’ first show at the venue since 2018 during more innocent, pre-COVID times when the fascism wasn’t so fashy. The night, part of LA Phil’s 2025 Latin music concert series, was a welcome breath of fresh air where he played tons of hits, debuted a new song off his upcoming album (you had to be there! [unless someone took video, in which case, congrats.]) and played a bunch of amazing covers from Soda Stereo, Raymix (which, I guess, technically is not a cover since there’s an official version with his vocals), and plenty of Juan Gabriel. Is there another Latino alive that loves JuanGa more than Juanes? The competition is strong, but I doubt it!