Legendary Argentine rockers Los Fabulosos Cadillacs accomplished something few imagined on Saturday (June 3); they drew a crowd of 300,000 to their free concert at Mexico City’s Zócalo, breaking the attendance record set by Grupo Firme last year, according to data supplied by the local government.
Up until last night, Grupo Firme, the boisterous Mexican music group, had drawn the biggest crowd ever (280,000) to the historic Mexican site. But last night Los Cadillacs bested Grupo Firme and other seminal acts, including Rosalía, Sir Paul McCartney, Roger Waters, Shakira, the late ranchera icon Vicente Fernández, and even pop star Justin Bieber.
“¡Winds of liberty, blood of a fighter!” tweeted Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, quoting the lyrics of Cadillac’s famous song “Matador.” “We’ve made history again, breaking attendance records with 300,000 people in the Zócalo of Mexico City, enjoying an epic concert from Los Fabulosos Cadillacs,” she added.
The band — headed by singer Gabriel Fernández Capello, better known as Vicentico, bassist Flavio Cianciarulo and saxophonist Sergio Rotman — took over the second largest public square in the world (behind Tiananmen Square in Peking) with their blend of rock, ska, reggae and punk.
From early in the morning on Saturday, people from different parts of the city, and the country, lined up at el Zócalo in an effort to get access to the front rows of the stage. By the time the show started in the evening, the crowd was so large and tight, that some opted to move to the back to breath better.
The now-historic performance, which lasted around 90 minutes, is part of the group’s El León del Ritmo tour, which celebrates 30 years of one of its most celebrated albums, 1992’s El León, and three decades since the release of their fabled single “Matador.”
The fact that Cadillacs have been around for so long, and that they perform rock en español – a genre many say is fading — makes their accomplishment even more impressive. “They called them old, they made fun of them, and they answered with 300,000 people,” tweeted one fan.
300,000 attended Los Fabulosos Cadillacs’ show at Mexico City’s Zócalo. Photo Courtesy of Secretaría de Cultura de la Ciudad de México.
“What happiness! How enormous and indescribable to be playing for all you! Thank you, eternal thanks. We receive this with our hearts,” said a visibly moved Vicentico to an adoring audience that sang to every song in their repertoire.
Following their performance at Coachella in April, the Cadillacs will take their El León del Ritmo Tour to different countries, including Mexico, the Viña del Mar Festival in Chile, Spain and the U.S.
Here is the full setlist from Saturday Night:
1. “Demasiada Presión”
2. “El Muerto”
3. “Carmela”
4. “Estoy Harto De Verte Con Otros”
5. “El Genio del Dub”
6. “Calaveras y Diablitos”
7. “Los Condenaditos”
8. “El Aguijón”
9. “Nro. 2 En Tu Lista”
10. “Saco Azul”
11. “Siguiendo La Luna”
12. “V Centenario”
13. “Carnaval Toda La Vida”
14. “Mal Bicho”
15. “Matador”
16. “Mi Novia Se Cayó en un Pozo Ciego”
17. “Vasos Vacíos”
18. “El Satánico Dr. Cadillac”
19. “Yo No Me Sentaría en Tu Mesa”
This story originally appeared on Billboard
