I’ve always found it hard to tell whether Juanes is led by his lyrics or his guitar playing. Yet, once you have seen him perform in a large arena it’s obvious; his lyrics are the driving force. Sharing a strong show of emotions with your fan is rarely witnessed at a rock concert these days, but Juanes wears his heart on his sleeve.
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Juanes
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 Entertainment
 Art
Allstate Arena
Chicago, Ill.
April 02, 2008
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From the moment Juanes appeared on stage, he had the female dominated crowd at the Allstate Arena on their feet. Intricate guitar riffs and short rhythmic hip moving beats barely drowned out the shouts of fans, as the band opened with a frenzied version of “A Dios le Pido.” The song set the tone for the rest of the evening and prepared the packed arena for one hell of a night. During the two hour, 22 song set, the band pounded through hits from all four albums, with a portion of the concert highlighting the mission of the Mi Sangre Foundation. The Mi Sangre Foundation is a foundation that Juanes started a few years ago, to aid Columbian children who have been injured by antipersonnel mines.
Born in Columbia, singer songwriter Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez, better known simply as Juanes, is arguably one of the most successful and best-selling Colombian musicians. He has sold over ten million albums and has won twelve Latin Grammys. Yet, along with his musical success, Juanes is active and equally known for his humanitarian work as well.
Tonight, Juanes’ voice led the band and rightfully so, since he has the natural assertiveness that is needed to dominate a stage and be the perfect front man. Still, there was plenty of time for solo breakouts from the keyboard, percussion of the band, and the crowd did more than shout their appreciation. During the single “Bailala!” from his newest album, La Vida, Juanes put down the microphone and danced to the afro beat intro, banged out by his percussionist.
The band started off the night with a string of record breaking hits from both Un Dia Normal and Mi Sangre, with devotees chanted along the entire time. Midway through the set Juanes switched gears and crooned slow ballads, like “La Vida es un Ratico” and “Me Enamora” from his latest album, La Vida…Es un Ratico. The crowd was no longer chanting along, they were roaring.
By the time the melodic lyrics of “Es Por Ti” faded, Juanes had etched a place into the hearts of his followers. But he didn’t leave the thousands of swooning females and their male counterparts hanging, Juanes ended his encore performance with a cover of “La Rebelion” by Joe Arroyo y La Verdad that left everyone dancing in the aisles.
A Juanes show is more than just a concert, it’s a celebration in music, life and peace. Juanes may only sing in his native tongue but even if you don’t understand the words, you understand the sentiment. Juanes is current on tour through July and if he comes through your city go out and support a wonderful and unique artist.
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thank you
Written by Guest on 2008-04-11 00:58:40
for this beatifull review and awesome fotos!
~~ Lucile ~~
The Netherlands
www.juanesfan.nl
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Juanes' Music
Written by Guest on 2008-04-14 10:02:26
Raised in NY along the hip hop and rap sounds and culture, I never expressed much interest in listening to spanish music...that is until I heard Juanes.
This guy is unbelievable - his songwriting, music composition, guitar playing and energy is truly amazingly uplifting and I feel his emotions through his music. I got emotional when I first heard "Un dia normal", rock'n roll to the sounds of "Suenos", express grief and happiness when "volverte a ver" is on, dance to "Amame" and "No creo en el Jamas" provides me with hope, courage and strength to believe and never give up.
Bless his music and his humanitarian goals.
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