Natanael Cano Among Headliners for 2025 Installment of Mexico City’s Axe Ceremonia Festival

Posted on October 23, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Natanael Cano has a special axe to grind.

The 23-year-old Mexican rapper and singer will serve as one of the headlining acts for the 2025 edition of the Axe Ceremonia festival, which will take place April 5-6 at Parque Bicentenario in Mexico City, Mexico.

Cano is among a roster of headliners that includes Massive Attack, Tyler, the Creator, Charli XCX, Nathy Peluso, Parcels, Gesaffelstein, Fka Twigs, TOMORROW X TOGETHER and Meme del Real (Café Tacvba’s keyboard player).

The Marías, Hanumankind, A.G. Cook, NSQK, The Dare, Simpson Ahuevo and Brutalism 300 are other acts announced as part of the lineup for the festival, which has established itself as a cultural celebration featuring the best and most representative bands and soloists of the local and international scene.

Tickets were made available on Ticketmaster in a presale for CITIBANAMEX cardholders on Wednesday (Oct. 23), with the general sale beginning a day later, announced promoter Eco Live, which produces the event in collaboration with the Mexican promoter Ocesa.

The Axe Ceremonia, which will be celebrating its 12th edition, has become an interesting option within the circuit of major music festivals in Mexico, providing a space for diverse voices and multi-generational sounds, offering the freshest from the global scene on its lineup.

In the words of its promoters: “AXE Ceremonia is a platform that drives creative communities, cutting-edge talent and social activists so that their projects and ideas can reach a broader audience.”

Past editions have included global music stars such as Björk, Rosalía, Kendrick Lamar, LCD Soundsystem, Travis Scott, James Blake, Wu-Tang Clan, A$AP Rocky, Aphex Twin, Snoop Dogg, Animal Collective, Underworld, Nicolas Jaar and Fuerza Regida.

https://twitter.com/AXECeremonia/status/1848409977322451318?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1848409977322451318%7Ctwgr%5Ee4230a00a80b87632a63a3b10af49de6734283fe%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.billboard.com%2Fmusic%2Flatin%2F2025-axe-ceremonia-festival-lineup-1235808825%2F

Christian Nodal Among Artists Set to Perform at Billboard Presents THE STAGE at SXSW

Posted on February 14, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Christian Nodal is hitting The Stage in Austin, Texas…

Billboard has announced its return to South by Southwest (SXSW) for three star-studded concerts running Thursday, March 14, through Saturday, March 16, with the 25-year-old Mexican musician, singer and songwriter among the artists scheduled to perform.

Billboard Presents THE STAGE at SXSW will kick off with a night dedicated to R&B headlined by singer-songwriter and producer PARTYNEXTDOOR on March 14; on March 15, a night celebrating Latin music will feature TJ the DJ and Nodal; and on March 16, a dance-centric night will kick off with DJ Sober before electronic giant ILLENIUM takes the stage.

Nodal has won three Latin Grammy Awards, a Lo Nuestro Award, two Billboard Latin Music Awards and a Latin American Music Award.

Additional talent will be announced at future dates.

Billboard Presents THE STAGE at SXSW takes place at Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park in Austin. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster.

Billboard will report live from SXSW 2024, which takes place March 8-16 in Austin.

SXSW began in 1987 and has continued to grow with each passing year into a must-attend event for those in the music, film and tech industries.

Last March, Billboard Presents THE STAGE at SXSW featured performances from rapper-singer Lil Yachty with opening acts Lola Brooke and Armani White; Latin stars Feid and Eladio Carrión; and electronic giants Kx5 (Kaskade x deadmau5).

Later in the year, the inaugural SXSW Sydney took place, bringing the festival to Australia for the first time. Japanese girl group XG headlined Billboard’s THE STAGE at SXSW Sydney.

Karol G to Make Three “Mañana Será Bonito Tour” Stops in Mexico in Early 2024

Posted on October 19, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Karol G is heading to Mexico…

As part of its Latin American leg, the 32-year-old Colombian singer-songwriter’s Mañana Será Bonito Tour will make three stops in Mexico, starting February 8 at the capital’s emblematic Estadio Azteca, promoter Ocesa has announced.

According to Karol G’s official website, the other two dates scheduled in Mexico are February 16, at the Estadio Mobil Super in the northern city of Monterrey, and February 23 at the Tres de Marzo stadium in Guadalajara.

Pre-sale for HSBC cardholders for the Estadio Azteca show begins next Monday and Tuesday (October 23-24), and the following day they will be available to the general public at the venue’s box office or through Ticketmaster, Ocesa said.

The show at the Estadio Azteca will be produced by Ocesa and Westwood. The collaboration between both promoters had previously occurred last December, when Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny sang at the same venue.

The nicknamed “Coloso de Santa Úrsula” has room for about 83,000 people, according to its website. Among other stars that have performed there are U2, Madonna and Vicente Fernández.

The last time that “La Bichota” performed in Mexico City was in June 2022, when she gave two sold-out concerts at the Arena Ciudad de México, where she had RBD’s Anahí and Mexican rock band Café Tacvba as special guests.

Karol G’s upcoming shows in Mexico, after her successful U.S. stadiums tour, mark the beginning of a journey through 18 Latin American cities, including in her native Colombia, Peru, Chile, Guatemala, Argentina and Brazil.

Her previous arenas stint, the 2022 $trip Love Tour, became the highest-grossing U.S. tour by a Latina in history. It grossed $69.9 million across 33 shows in North America, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, surpassing Jennifer Lopez’s $50 million on the 2019 It’s My Party World Tour and Shakira’s $28.2 million on the 2018 El Dorado World Tour.

Last August, Karol G was the first Latina headliner at Lollapalooza. She subsequently released her second album of the year, Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season), six months after Mañana Será Bonito, which debuted atop the Billboard 200 becoming the first No. 1 by a woman singing in Spanish in the history of the chart.

https://twitter.com/ocesa_total/status/1714419738485346538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1714419738485346538%7Ctwgr%5Edf5d7c24ea58a6866d49319077ed13872adf107d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.billboard.com%2Fmusic%2Flatin%2Fkarol-g-manana-sera-bonito-tour-mexico-dates-1235447917%2F

Enrique Iglesias Uniting with Ricky Martin & Pitbull for North America Trilogy Tour

Posted on May 31, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Enrique Iglesias is joining forces with two global superstars for a legendary trek…

The 48-year-old Spanish singer and songwriter is set to go on tour with Ricky Martin and Pitbull.

The three hitmakers announced dates for their North America Trilogy Tour, which is set to kick off on October 14 in Washington, D.C.

The 19-date arena trek — produced by Live Nation — will make stops in major cities such as New York, Miami, Houston and Las Vegas before wrapping up on December 16 in Vancouver, B.C.

“It’s a true honor to tour with Enrique and Ricky, 2 music icons who broke global music barriers for our culture and open doors for someone like myself,” Pitbull (born Armando Christian Perez) said in a statement. “We’re excited to take The Trilogy tour around the world and give our fans the time of their Trilogy lives, Dale!”

“I am incredibly excited to be going on tour with my friends Pitbull and Ricky,” added Iglesias. “The Trilogy Tour will be an amazing experience for ALL of our fans. It’s going to be a once in a lifetime tour.”

Ricky Martin echoed his tour mates’ excitement: “Going back on the road with not only Enrique, but now with Pitbull, it’s very exciting. This tour will be a wild party from beginning to end so get ready, it’s going to be epic!”

According to the press release, the artists will be delivering “three unique headlining sets.”

It’s not the first time the three musicians will go on tour with each other. In 2017, Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull went on tour with CNCO as the opening act. The trek grossed $38 million and sold 415,000 tickets, according to Billboard Boxscore numbers.

Four years later in 2021, Iglesias teamed up with Ricky Martin — and Sebastián Yatra as the tour’s opener — on a tour that grossed $35.2 million and sold 312,000 tickets.

For the Trilogy Tour, fans can register now through June 4 for the Verified Fan presale. According to Live Nation, selected fans will then receive an access code will be able to participate in presale starting June 7. The general on sale will begin June 9 at 10 a.m. local time on Ticketmaster.com.

Here are the tour dates:

Oct. 14 – Washington, D.C. – Capital One Arena
Oct. 17 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Oct. 20 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
Oct. 21– Boston, MA – TD Garden
Oct. 26 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Oct. 28 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
Nov. 1 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Nov. 3 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Nov. 9 – Orlando, FL – Amway Center
Nov. 10 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center
Nov. 17 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
Nov. 18 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Nov. 19 – San Antonio, TX – AT&T Center
Nov. 24 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
Nov. 25 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
Nov. 30 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
Dec. 6 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
Dec. 8 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Dec. 10 – Vancouver, B.C. – Rogers Arena

Mariah Carey to Perform Two Christmas Concerts This Holiday Season

Posted on October 24, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey is planning for an extra special holiday season.

The 52-year-old half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and actress, the Queen of Christmas, has revealed plans to perform a pair of Christmas shows.

Carey will deck the halls with all her jingle bell best during a set of her classic holiday songs.

“It’s almost time NEW YORK + Toronto!!!” she wrote. “Come celebrate Christmas with me this December! lil’ excited lil’ excited to be back on stage and get festive with everybody!!”

Tickets for the shows — December 11 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, December 13 at Madison Square Garden in New York — will go on sale on Friday (October 28) at 10:00 am ET on Ticketmaster.

According to a release, these will be Mariah’s only Christmas concerts this yuletide season and fans purchase a ticket will also get a chance to buy an exclusive t-shirt and a copy of the singer’s illustrated holiday fairytale book, The Christmas Princess, which is due out on November 1.

The announcement also tees up the annual chart watch to see if Carey’s perennial Christmas classic, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” will hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a fourth year in a row.

Last week, the Christmas Queen got fans excited to get in the spirit by teasing the kick-off to “All I Want for Christmas Is You” season by tweeting, “It’s almost time…,” in which she showed off her festive red robe draped on the steps leading to her luxurious jacuzzi-style bathtub. The scene was filled out with a giant display of red and white roses spelling out her initials.

But, before you get too revved up, as the first, twinkly notes of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” bubbled up, Mariah tapped the brakes and in a follow-up tweet cautioned, “Not yet.”

https://twitter.com/MariahCarey/status/1584497343885299712

Pitbull Launching “Can’t Stop Us Now” Tour; Iggy Azalea & Sean Paul to Participate on Select Dates

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Pitbull is heading on the road… And, he’s bringing in reinforcements.

Following his successful I Feel Good Tour in 2021, the 41-year-old Cuban American rapper is going back on tour.

This time, Pitbull has secured more than 50 dates for his upcoming Can’t Stop Us Now trek.

During the 2022 North American tour, presented by Live Nation, Pitbull will be joined by Iggy Azalea and Sean Paul on select dates.

This marks the second time Azalea joins Pitbull, following his I Feel Good tour. SiriusXM Globalization DJs are set to be Pitbull’s openers throughout the extensive trek.

Just in time for the summer, the Can’t Stop Us Now tour officially kicks off on July 28 at the Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, N.C.

Mr. Worldwide will then make pit stops in cities like San Antonio, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Toronto, Nashville, and Orlando, before wrapping on October 19 at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Fla.

On social media, the artist born Armando Perez expressed he was “excited to announce” his new tour.

Last year, Mr. 305 closed off his touring trek as one of Billboard’s Top Latin Tours of 2021, with his 32-city I Feel Good tour that had more than 419,000 total attendees and grossed a total of $19,837,668. That same trek marked Pitbull’s first in nearly two years.

Tickets for his 2022 Can’t Stop Us Now trek go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. local time on Friday, April 15, via Ticketmaster.

Fans can also access presale tickets by registering early via Pitbull’s official website by clicking here.

Bad Bunny Announces Ambitious 29-Date Summer Stadium Tour for 2022

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

He hasn’t even launched his highly anticipated tour, but Bad Bunny’s already thinking bigger…

After selling out his 36-date El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo arena tour in record time, the 27-year-old Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter and actor has announced an ambitious 29-date stadium tour for 2022.

Promoted by Live Nation and CMN, Bad Bunny: World’s Hottest Tour will kick off on August 5 at Campus Stadium in Orlando, and will make 15 U.S. stops, including Yankee Stadium in New York, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, and Fenway Park in Boston.\

Bad Bunny announced the stadium tour before even playing a single show from his upcoming El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo tour, which kicks off on February 9.

It’s great news for the thousands of fans who weren’t able to score tickets for El Ultimo Tour del Mundo, which sold out in days.

The World’s Hottest Tour also comes with a bonus: In the U.S., Bunny will feature DJ Alesso as a guest for 11 dates, and Diplo as a guest at two dates, including the final show at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles September 30.

The tour then continues to Latin America for 14 stops in October, including Estadio Velez in Buenos Aires and Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

Tickets will go on pre-sale Wednesday (Jan. 26) at 12 p.m. via worldshottesttour.com, and goes on sale to the general public on Friday, January 28, also at 12 p.m.

The tour announcement was followed very quickly by a new album announcement, which Bad Bunny made via a video on Instagram reels.

Bad Bunny’s tour may be the most ambitious for a Latin artist ever in the U.S. But then again, he’s been on a record-breaking streak for the past three years.

Bad Bunny (real name Benito Martínez Ocasio) was the top selling Latin artist of 2021 for the third consecutive year, according to MRC Data, and the most streamed artist globally on Spotify for the second consecutive year.

He is also the first artist to place an all-Spanish album at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

On the live front, in 2021 Bad Bunny sold 480,000 tickets and grossed $84 million in a single day when his 2022 El Último Tour del Mundo tour went on sale. It became Ticketmaster’s top-selling tour for a first day since Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s On the Run II Tour in 2018.

In December 2021, Bad Bunny played back-to-back shows at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico, staging a festival-like performance that included multiple stages and environments. Whether this will serve as the template for Bunny’s upcoming stadium tour remains to be seen.

Here are the tour dates:

Bad Bunny World’s Hottest Tour Dates
Aug. 5 – Orlando, FL @ Camping World Stadium
Aug. 9 – Atlanta, GA @ Truist Park (with Alesso)
Aug. 12 – Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium (with Alesso)
Aug. 18 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park (with Alesso)
Aug. 20 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
Aug. 23 – Washington, DC @ Nationals Park (with Alesso)
Aug. 27 – New York, NY @ Yankee Stadium (with Diplo)
Sept. 1 – Houston, TX @ Minute Maid Park (with Alesso)
Sept. 7 – San Antonio, TX @ Alamodome (with Alesso)
Sept. 9 – Dallas, TX @ AT&T Stadium (with Alesso)
Sept. 14 – Oakland, CA @ RingCentral Coliseum (with Alesso)
Sept. 17 – San Diego, CA @ PETCO Park (with Alesso)
Sept. 23 – Las Vegas, NV @ Allegiant Stadium (with Alesso)
Sept. 28 – Phoenix, AZ @ Chase Field (with Alesso)
Sept. 30 – Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium (with Diplo)

Carlos Pena Jr. & His Big Time Rush Group Mates Reuniting for Two Shows

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Pena Jr. is feelin’ the rush…

The 31-year-old Spanish, Venezuelan and Dominican American singer/actor, who goes by Carlos PenaVega, and his Big Time Rush group mates are making a comeback.

After an eight-year hiatus, the boy band is returning for two performances in 2021.

The L.A.-based group will perform at Chicago Theater in Illinois on December 15, followed by a December 18 show at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York.

“WE ARE BACK! It’s been a minute, but we couldn’t be more excited to see you! Lets make up for lost time,” the group said in a post announcing their return.

Big Time Rush originated from the Nickelodeon series Big Time Rush in 2009 and released three studio albums between 2010 and 2013. The group set off on five tours from 2011 to 2014, when they ceased touring. The series concluded in the summer of 2013.

The Big Time Rush Live dates will consist of all four original members Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Pena Jr. and Logan Henderson.

The members conducted a virtual reunion in June 2020 for fans to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their song “Worldwide.” The acoustic version of the track was uploaded to PenaVega’s YouTube channel.

The show announcements were accompanied by a short promo video featuring the members being called back to return to their gigs.

Tickets go on sale Friday through Ticketmaster. Fans can sign up for presale access here.

WE ARE BACK! It’s been a minute, but we couldn’t be more excited to see you! Lets make up for lost time.
Dec 15 – Chicago Theater, Chicago, IL
Dec 18 – Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY

Don’t forgot to sign up for first access to pre-sale tickets!
LINK IN BIO pic.twitter.com/Mokn5euLvV

— Big Time Rush (@bigtimerush) July 19, 2021

Robert Trujillo & His Metallica Band Mates to Headline This Year’s ATLive

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Robert Trujillo is headed to the ATL…

The 56-year-old half-Mexican American bassist and songwriter and his Metallica band mates will headline the second annual ATLive alongside George Strait on November 5-6 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Produced by AMB Sports and Entertainment and presented by Mercedes-EQ, Strait will be joined by Eric Church and Caitlyn Smith on November 5, while Cage the Elephant and Greta Van Fleet round out the November 6 lineup alongside Metallica.

In perhaps a first, Strait and Metallica’s Lars Ulrich appear “together” in a video promoting the festival.

The inaugural ATLive took place November 15 and 17, 2019 and drew more than 90,000 to the all country lineup including Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Church, Sugarland, Sam Hunt and Luke Combs.

Like the 2019 concert, this year’s festival also has a charitable component with a portion of the proceeds going to the Strait-supported Military Warriors Support Foundation and Metallica’s All Within My Hands nonprofit.

“We are thrilled to be bringing ATLive back with an incredible lineup of artists,” said Tim Zulawski, SVP and chief revenue officer for AMB Sports and Entertainment in a statement. “From the beginning, our goal was to create a concert series that will become the must-see event for Atlanta. In our first year, we delivered a world-class experience for fans from across the world and we are excited to create that same experience again while giving back to our communities and those in need.”

Tickets go on sale July 16 via Ticketmaster.

Aventura Reuniting for One-Night-Only Concert in Miami to Closeout Their “Inmortal” Reunion Tour

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Prepare for a special Aventura reunion…

The bachata group, helmed by Romeo Santos, Henry Santos, Lenny Santos and Max Santos, has announced an upcoming one-night-only concert as part of their “Inmortal” reunion tour that was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Aventura canceled their 2020 reunion tour on March 12 at the former AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami when Mayor Carlos Gimenez declared a state of emergency, canceling large events to stop the spread of the virus. They also canceled the remaining North American tour, which was set to wrap in August.

Now, the tour will officially conclude August 14 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for a one-time show produced by Live Nation.

Named after the group’s first single in nearly 10 years, the “Inmortal” tour grossed $25.8 million and sold 189,000 tickets, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. That’s 15 shows between February 5 and March 10, 2020.

Although the group has reunited multiple times since disbanding in 2011, this is the “last and final” Aventura concert together, according to Santos on Instagram.

Tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster.com.

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