Why the Bésame Mucho Latino music festival created a cultural moment
The Bésame Mucho festival, focused on Spanish-language Latin music across various genres, was a rare music festival attracting different Latino generations.
LOS ANGELES — The Martinez family had never attended a concert together. This year, Oscar, Christian and Brianna Martinez surprised their father and mother with tickets to the inaugural Bésame Mucho Festival, a birthday present for their dad.
"These are bands that me and my dad listened to when we were at work — so it's fitting to bring him, to finally see them live," said Oscar, 25, who was wearing a matching black Tejana, or cowboy hat, with his father. "I thought it'd be perfect."
The sold-out, one-day festival, produced by Live Nation and held Saturday at Dodger Stadium, brought together 58 Latin music artists across various genres, including rock, pop, salsa and Mexican regional music and spanning decades, from the 1960s to the 2000s.
Tickets quickly sold out when they were made available in February. The festival's popularity is rooted in nostalgia and its connection to the Spanish language.
The Martinez siblings surprised their dad on his birthday with tickets to the Bésame Mucho Festival. The family was eager to enjoy the Banda, Pop and Rock stages.Cora Cervantes-Orta“I think that people take pleasure out of identifying with Spanish, having music that they feel speaks directly to them — even if they’re not Spanish dominant,” said Ed Morales, an author and lecturer at Columbia University’s Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race.
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