The Colombian singer and songwriter Carolina Giraldo Navarro, best known as “Karol G” performed at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Sun Bowl Stadium as part of her long-awaited tour, “Viajando Por El Mundo.” El Paso was the only city in the tour lineup with two back-to-back concerts on Sept. 5 and 6.
The tickets for the Sept. 6 date went on sale April 29 and sold out within minutes. Due to the high demand, Karol G’s team announced an additional date in El Paso.For the last 10 years, Karol G has broken historic records by becoming the first female artist to win a Grammy award for “Best Urban Music” and the first Latina to headline “Coachella” earlier this year.
Apart from reggaeton, Karol G paid homage to the Mexican culture by performing along with Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, an all-female mariachi band that performed with her during her set at Coachella. (Lesly Chavez)
“Tropicoqueta” brought an immersive experience focused on celebrating the tropical Latin-infused rhythms of her fifth studio album combined with the emotional, stripped-down shift from her latest album, “No me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto,” which was released on Aug. 7 after the beginning of her tour on July 24 in Chicago.
Over 90,000 attendees filled the Sun Bowl in head to toe blue and orange outfits and wore glitter, flowers and rhinestones to add the special touch that completed the “Tropicoqueta” vibe.
For both days, the guest artist and concert opener was Becky G, who brought a sensual, high-powered club energy with tropical influences from her latest album “Baraja Bendita,” and hits such as “Mayores,” and “Sin Pijama.” Becky G later joined Karol on stage to perform their award-winning collaboration “MAMIII.”
After an electrifying opening, Karol G popped up from the stage, opening her concert with her song “Latina Foreva,” which brought an overwhelming high-energy crowd. As the concert progressed, Karol G’s focus was on songs from her album “Tropicoqueta,” but still performed classics from her other albums.
Becky G was the guest opener for both days for Karol G tour “Viajando por El Mundo” at the UTEP Sun Bowl. (Lesly Chavez)
During the concerts, Karol G often interacted with the crowd by giving shoutouts to those in the nosebleed seats and encouraging the crowd and staff to dance and sing along with her, moments that quickly became viral on social media. Apart from reggaeton, Karol G focused on bringing other Latino cultures and rhythms to the stage, by bringing out “Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles,” an all-female mariachi band that performed with her during her set at Coachella.
Wearing sombreros, flowers, embordered and bedazzled charro suits, the Reynas and Karol performed songs such as “200 Copas” and “Ese Hombre es Malo,” Karol also performed her hit song “MI EX TENIA RAZON” after reading a poster from a fan in the floor seat audience asking her to do so.
Continuing with the Mexican culture, from her newest album, “No me Arrepinto de Sentir Tanto,” she performed her Tex-Mex Cumbia fusion song “Alguien que te Amaba” and switched to bachata, making ode to the Dominican genre singing her successful collaborative track Greeicy, “Amiga Mia.”
Finally, we were transported to the favelas, with Karol G preforming Spanish Portuguese funk hits such as “TA OK” and “Bandida Entrenada,” which had complex rave-like choreography and exhilarating water stage effects, fog, pyrotechnics and lasers.
One of the main moments during both concerts was when she chose random people from the audience to join her on stage and dance to her recent hit “BBy WoW” alongside her. Long-time fan Enrique Unzueta from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua was among those who were selected.
People from all over the world came to the UTEP Sun Bowl for Karol G’s back-to-back concerts days in El Paso, Texas.
“For a few minutes, it felt like I was living a dream. Seeing that many people and knowing I was sharing that moment with an artist I admire is something I’ll never forget,” Unzueta said. “I felt that Carolina is a very genuine, warm person with incredible energy. I think one of the most beautiful things about her is that, even in front of thousands of people, she manages to make those moments feel very personal. And as a fan, this ‘Viajando Por el Mundo’ show leaves me feeling like I witnessed something much bigger than just a concert.”
The real surprise happened on Sept. 6 where apart from her already announced guest artist Becky G, Karol surprised everybody by bringing on stage El Paso born-and raised Greg Gonzalez, best known as the founder and lead vocalist of the band “Cigarettes After Sex.” Together they performed “Despues de ti,” a melancholic, heartbreak ballad that left more than one fan teary-eyed and with their heart in their hands.
To wrap up this blissful weekend, Karol G thanked all of the people who attended and made a remark on how much her audience has grown in just a few years and how grateful she feels about sharing this moment with so many people she cares for, before wrapping up with her song “Provenza.”
“Hace unos años que vine acá, pasamos de ser 5,000, a ser más de 80,000 en dos noches. No doy nunca nada por sentado, Antes de subir al escenario alguien me dijo algo muy hermoso: esta noche, no existen fronteras en este lugar, aquí estamos vibrando todos uno solo,” Karol G said. “Que noche tan increíble me regalaste El Paso, nos tenemos que volver a ver alguna vez.”
She continued by encouraging the audience to live their lives to the fullest and to spread love.
“Mientras tanto, recuerde que la vida es solo una, vívala, no le dé pena hacer lo suyo, vaya por lo suyo por la vida sonría, sea feliz, sea amable de los buenos días, sea generoso con alguna persona, abrase a la persona con la que usted vino hoy, abrácela muy duro porque usted no sabe cuándo va a ser la última vez que lo va a ver,” Karol G said. “¡Y esta última canción, nos la vamos a celebrar como si fuera el último día de nuestras vidas!”
“Viajando Por El Mundo” tour at El Paso was an unforgettable weekend that made every person celebrate Latin culture and embrace unity across this groundbreaking concert series with a playful, loving vibe, making everybody dance their soul out “con una actitud tropicoqueta.”
Lesly Marlene Chavez is the multimedia editor and may be reached at [email protected] and social media @pics.by.lesly