Los Angeles, CA — Would you believe me if I told you, you are going to have a blast at a concert even though you are not going to understand a word anyone is saying?
Well, to all my non-Spanish speakers, your answer should be yes because Calibash is nothing like you will ever experience.
Calibash is a two-night concert that took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The first night began Saturday, January 19 and the second night followed on Sunday, January 20. Calibash included a line-up of all Latin artists who performed their hit singles and features all in Spanish.
For somebody who does not know a slick of Spanish, I was skeptical on if I was going to have a great time since I would not be able to sing along to any of the songs, let alone know any of the song titles. Boy, was I wrong or should I say, “chico, estaba equivocado” (I Google translated this so if it is wrong, it is Google’s fault).
Rapper Anuel AA opened the first night with his hit songs “Bebe” featuring 6ix9nine, “Amanece” and “Bubalu.” The Puerto Rican duo Wisin y Yandel got the crowd pumped with “Como Antes” and “Reggaetón En Lo Oscuro,” and singer Nicky Jam jammed to his songs “X Equis,” “El Perdon,” and “Mi Cama.”
The Puerto Rican singer and rapper Daddy Yankee also came out and performed his fan favorites “Gasolina” and “Despacito” and had everyone off their seats, while Latin trap singer Ozuna closed the night with “Unica,” “Ahora Dice,” and his Cardi B. featured song “La Modelo.”
The second night featured the same artists and added Latinx artist Becky G. and reggaeton duo Zion and Lennox to the already fire line-up.
Calibash embodies the Latin culture in more ways than one. Of course, the music and fast-paced beats had everyone dancing salsa, cha-cha-cha, paso doble and more, but it was the crowd who showed what Latin culture is really about.
Everyone at Calibash was either dancing within the small area they had, singing to the top of their lungs to the lyrics, embracing their partners in dance, or simply looking in awe towards the stage. There were barely people on their phones filming the concert or sitting down. This view was quite different from English-speaking concerts.
Majority of people are either recording sets, posting on Snapchat and Instagram stories, all while looking at the concert through a tiny screen. Some are seen sitting down or even calling and FaceTiming their friends and family while the concert is still going on. It is rare to see people off their phones during concerts, so Calibash offered a nice change of scenery.
Calibash will return January 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the T-Mobile Arena, where Ozuna will join already confirmed artists Enrique Iglesias, Bad Bunny, Wisin y Yandel, Anuel AA, Becky G., Farruko and more. To top it off, this event will be part of the Morphis Weekend Latino, which celebrates the Latin American culture in the United States. You will not want to miss it.