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“Long live the Phoeniquera, good evening, my people!”
Like someone returning home and greeting friends, Carín León kicked off a night that lasted a little more than two hours, with plenty of room for heartbreak songs, toasts to the heartbroken, memories of his Sonoran roots and dancing until the very end.
And if there was one thing the crowd packed Desert Diamond Arena made clear, it was that they were certain they had not come to sit down.
From the moment the singer appeared on stage, people remained on their feet for practically the entire show, singing along and accompanying the Hermosillo native on a journey that moved from regional Mexican music and songs of heartbreak to a small bar among
friends and, finally, a cumbia party.
At 8:45 p.m., Carín appeared wearing a purple suit, black shirt and tie, and his signature black hat adorned with a feather.
“A través del vaso” and “Me la aventé” were among the first songs of the night.
“Where are my friends tonight?” he asked.
Then came “Ojos cerrados.”
“How’s my Phoeniquera doing tonight? Let’s hear it! It feels so good to come back home,” he said before offering one of many toasts throughout the evening. “Long live the Phoeniquera, long live the drunkards, long live the heartbroken! Tonight we forget, tonight we enjoy ourselves. Cheers!”
And of course, he could not leave out his homeland: “Long live Hermosillo, Sonora!”
A night among friends from Hermosillo
Johana Siaruqui, one of Carín’s backup vocalists, joined him to perform “Como lo hice yo,” while Paloma Ledgard teamed up with the Sonoran singer for “Te lo agradezco.”
One of the evening’s most nostalgic moments came when Carín invited Alfonso Aranda to perform “Dame un beso y dime adiós” by Los Yndio.
The singer introduced the moment as a tribute to Hilder Lara and to Sonora’s musical tradition.
“Long live Sonoran rock, long live Sonoran music,” he said.
Later in the show, Carlos Veliz, also a native of Hermosillo, joined him to perform “Una vida pasada.”
For the heartbroken, therapy with Carín
A large part of the concert revolved around territory Carín León knows well: love, heartbreak and the wounds some relationships leave behind.
“Since we’re among friends, tonight we want to dedicate this one to all of you who are hurting like hell, because there’s no wound that alcohol and an appointment with your trusted therapist, your buddy Carín, can’t take care of,” he joked.
Then came “Me está doliendo.”
There was also a message for those who have ever felt different.
“Many times the price of success is ending up alone, because nobody understands us, because we’re different,” he said. “So I want to dedicate this song to all the different ones, to all of these misunderstood black sheep here tonight.”
Next came “Cuando la vida sea trago.”
Before performing “Lado frágil,” Carín once again addressed those going through difficult times.
“May this song serve as a hug, may this song serve as advice, may this song serve as anesthesia for everyone who is having a hard time.”
Throughout this portion of the show, he also performed songs such as “Secuelas de amor,” “Decreté,” “Ahí estabas tú,” “ALCH SI,” “En la misma cama,” “La Buena,” “El amor de mi herida,” “Casi oficial,” “No es por acá,” “Bingo” and “Desde que te tengo.”
From a big arena to ‘El Compas Bar’
One of the most special moments of the night came when the enormous Desert Diamond Arena seemed to transform for a few minutes into a small neighborhood bar.
Carín left the main stage and moved to a smaller one. Photos of him as a child, growing up and performing in concerts appeared on the screens until the words “El Compas Bar” appeared.
Without his suit jacket, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and a black cap, the singer also changed the tone of the show. The atmosphere felt much more intimate, as if he were singing among friends.
He performed “De compas,” “Tú” and “Te vi con él.” There were toasts, banda music and memories of those early years in Arizona.
“We’re going to play a few songs to remember the first times we were around here in the Phoeniquera,” he said.
Carín recalled his performances at Stratus and thanked those who have followed his career ever since.
“Por debajo del agua” and “Ángel de noche” accompanied that trip down memory lane.
It was also one of the moments of greatest closeness with his fans. The singer took time to sign hats, T-shirts and caps. He even exchanged some with fans, wore them for a few moments and then returned them.
“It had been a year since we last set foot in Phoenix, but we had to make this one special,” he said.
He then looked back on those years when his concerts in Arizona were very different from filling an arena.
“A few, but very long and very fruitful years ago, we were out here singing for you,” he recalled. “How beautiful it is to be back with you.”
“Qué más puedo pedir” closed the chapter of El Compas Bar.
The crowd turned the venue into a dance floor
If the crowd had spent much of the night on its feet singing along, what came next erased any possibility of returning to their seats.
Carín returned to the main stage and completely changed the pace of the show.
It was time for cumbia.
“Long live cumbia the way God sent it into the world! Long live cumbia the way we love it in Sonora! Long live La Laguna, long live Torreón, long live Tropicalísimo Apache!” he shouted.
And the response was immediate.
During the segment dedicated to Tropicalísimo Apache, the crowd never stopped dancing. Couples, groups of friends and families turned the rows of the Desert Diamond Arena into improvised dance floors as Carín worked his way through songs such as “Enamorado,” “A ella,” “Loco,” “La hierba se movía,” “Una copita de ron” and “Talento de televisión.”
It was one of the most festive moments of a night that had begun with songs of heartbreak.
Then came another dose of Sonoran pride with “El Sonorense.”
“Long live Sonora, compa! Fierro!” he shouted.
“La boda del huitlacoche,” “El tóxico,” “Aviso importante” and “Despídase bien” kept the party going. At another point in the show, a fan managed to hand the singer a bouquet of flowers.
‘It feels good to be back’
After a little more than two hours, the farewell began to take shape with “Según quién” and “Primera Cita.”
“May God bless you all. Thank you so much for joining us tonight. Here’s to more dates like this one. Keep having a great time,” he said.
Carín crossed himself several times throughout the concert and extended his blessing to those who accompanied him that night.
“God bless you, Phoenix. We’ll see you again very soon! May God bless you all. The Phoeniquera always on top. How beautiful it is to be back, how beautiful it is to see you again, how beautiful it is to be with you.”
Before leaving the stage for good, he asked the crowd for applause for the musicians who accompanied him.
“Proudly from Hermosillo, proudly Mexican,” he said.
The night had begun with a Sonoran singer dressed in purple shouting, “Long live the Phoeniquera!” and ended with thousands of people still on their feet more than two hours later.
Uriel Barrera of Tucson and Los Honorables were in charge of opening the concert and getting the crowd ready for a night that ultimately became a celebration of Sonoran music.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Nobody sat down at Carín León's Phoenix show. Here's why
