Latin Fever - Juanes

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Wolf Trap becomes a different place when Latin American artists take the stage. No other fans are as energized and the palpable feeling of excitement might have made this my favorite concert of the season! Juanes grew up in Medellin, Colombia during the reign of Pablo Escobar and his first hand experience with the violence and poverty in his country has spurned his lifelong commitment to philanthropy and charity. In 1988, he formed the band Ekhymosis and recorded with them for over ten years. The band was harder rock than his solo material would be but it established him as a star in his home country while also allowing him to develop his guitar chops. He released his debut solo album, Fijate Bien, in 2000 and he won the Best New Artist award at the Latin Grammys. His album Mi Sangre found great success both at home and in the english speaking world and he "La Camisa Negra" has become his biggest hit so far. He's notable among Latin artists for writing virtually all his own material while also supplying keyboard and guitar work on his recordings. He has won 20 Latin Grammys and 2 Grammy awards so far in his career, with his last album coming out in 2015. Outside of his music, he has released an autobiography in 2013 where his life is told through narratives and stories. His chief social crusade has been for the victims of anti personnel landmines and he has received international recognition for this. He is one of the biggest stars in Latin America and has been a beloved figure in Colombia for over 20 years.

As a Hispanic person myself, these shows are always near and dear to my heart despite the fact that I don't even know Spanish and left Ecuador when I was only 4 months old. Even though I do have a disconnect with spanish culture, I love listening to the music and tonight was no exception. Juanes is a great performer and his set had a good mix of dance tunes and slower ballads. He surprised me with his guitar work and even took a couple solos during his performance. His band was simple but their sound filled the theater and it helped that nearly everyone was dancing and singing. I loved the energy and it was refreshing to see everyone having a good time without overdoing it with the wine and beer. Towards the end of his show, Jaunes expressed the desire to eventually write songs in english so people in the United States could understand. I say he should keep singing in the beautiful language that made him famous. Your true fans will always understand what you're saying.

My favorite part of the show was when he played his signature tune "La Camisa Negra". A great dance song, it highlighted the end of his show which was packed full of great uptempo numbers. The crowd was bouncing like I've never seen before and I was so happy everyone was enjoying themselves!

Looking forward to more shows in the future!

DC

Juanes