It was pretty much a two hour bromance when Spain’s Hombres G and Argentina’s Enanitos Verdes joined forces at Tropicália Saturday night. This is your world,” he said in Spanish as the crowd exploded in cheers. “Welcome to your festival…thank you raza.

Lead by frontman Saul Hernandez, Mexico City’s alt-rock legends Caifanes wasted no time taking the crowd back to the heyday of rock en Español by playing hit after hit, including the arena-perfect anthem “Perdí Mi Ojo de Venado,” goth rock hit “Los Dioses Ocultos” and “La Negra Tomasa,” the latter of which was released in 1988 and marked one of the earliest fusions of rock and cumbia.īut it was what Hernandez said rather than what he sang that perfectly captured what the crowd was feeling on the first night of Tropicália. Then it was off to Europe via Argentina with two giants of the genre, Spain’s Hombres G and Argentina’s Enanitos Verdes, who united on stage on Saturday night for a hit packed two-hour mash-up set where they performed each other’s songs.īut it was one of the biggest bands in the genre who captured exactly how the crowd was feeling that night. Then it was time for Mexico City to show off its bands and the indie/psychedelic side of rock en Español with Zoe taking the stage as part of the band’s 20th anniversary tour followed by Fobia, on tour celebrating its 30th anniversary. Most of the bands performed Saturday on the main stage, starting with the rock/reggae/hip-hop group El Gran Silencio followed by the more ska-rock oriented band Inspector in the afternoon. The late 1980s and 1990s was home to rock en Español’s golden age, but Tropicália revived it this weekend with a lineup of bands that encompassed various versions of the genre. But sometimes you don’t know what you have until it’s there.Īt most large music festivals it’s become the norm if you want to sit down and rest a bit while watching the bands, the ground is pretty much the best option available.īut at Tropicália there were bleachers in front of each stage where people could sit down, eat some tacos and not miss any of the music.īeyond the bleachers, many people found a seat on Fairplex’s grandstand, where they had a pretty good view of the main stage. They say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. There were also several giant painted skulls throughout the venue that added to the cultural feel of Tropicália.

Standing about 7 feet tall, the dozens of Catrina figures were decorated with colorful dresses and were one of the most popular selfie spots at the festival. One of the first things festival goes saw when they entered the Fairplex grounds were the impressive Day of the Dead-inspired figures by artist Ricardo Soltero. Whether you are a Coachella lifer or prefer to watch from afar, get weekly dispatches during the Southern California music festival season. Sign up for our Festival Pass newsletter.

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