On the night of September 26, the Movistar Arena experienced an emotional spectacle for fans of singer Kany García, the voice of Puerto Rico who has narrated women’s stories throughout her two-decade career. The artist thrilled an audience that filled every corner of the venue. From outside, the covered stadium announced with red letters all around the tour she is currently on, with a simple and direct name: ‘García 2024’.
According to the criteria of
From 5 p.m. onwards, attendees began entering the Movistar Arena. The evening started with a red-lit curtain covering the stage. Expectation grew among the attendees who, chanting her name, demanded the presence of the Puerto Rican.
The artist’s entrance
Finally, at 9 p.m., the sound of a tap dancing announced the arrival of the singer. At that moment, the curtain fell, revealing a dynamic stage composed of five giant screens: three in the center and two on the sides, ensuring that even from the last rows, nobody would miss a single detail of the event. With a dazzling smile and dressed in black leather with shiny studs, the singer opened her repertoire with her hits ‘Fuera de servicio’, ‘Una vida buena’, and ‘Arriésgate a intentarlo’.
The visual effects were as changing as the emotions conveyed by García in her songs. Each melody had its own setting on the screens.
Thus, during ‘Soy yo’, the background displayed a blue sky, while in ‘Mi plan de vida’, the screens transformed into a symbolic wedding cake crowned by two brides; a nod to her activism, her wife, and her LGBTIQ+ audience. At that moment, her viewers seized the opportunity to sing happy birthday to their idol, who celebrated her 42nd birthday the day before.
The maximum capacity at Kany García’s concert led organizers to add additional seats in the Platea area.
Photo:
“I say it wherever I want and I don’t care. I was born in Puerto Rico, but my heart and my second home is Colombia,” confessed the artist, who also recalled that her first performances in this country had no more than 500 attendees, and now they exceed 14,000.
The connection with the audience was so deep that while performing ‘La siguiente’, a song she shares with Christian Nodal, the pressure from the audience against the stage was palpable. The lights on the screens continued in fiery tones as the singer traversed the stage from end to end, inciting the crowd to sing along with her.
Proposal during the concert
The most emotional moment of the night occurred around 10 p.m., when the artist mentioned that “there was a ‘boy’ who wrote to her every day asking for her to give up some time during her concert to say a few words to his girlfriend.” Subsequently, she invited him to the stage.
“You don’t look like a psychopath,” Kany García said to Alejandro Gonzáles, who had been contacting her tirelessly for several months. The artist, who described herself as “inquisitive,” questioned the man about his relationship and the things he loved most about his girlfriend.
To calm the nerve of the questioning, Kany offered him a sip of whiskey, and with a bit more courage, Gonzáles confessed: “Her eyes, her smile, and her butt.” The singer joked about that, positioning herself next to the girlfriend, who was already on stage.
Suddenly, in the midst of his speech, the insistent man pulled a ring from his jacket pocket to propose to his girlfriend. The Puerto Rican congratulated them and had them dance to ‘Lo que en ti veo’. She then performed ‘La malquerida’, a song she co-wrote with Colombian composer Juan Morelli. While singing the first part of ‘Duelo’, nobody imagined that rapper Nampa Básico, with whom she shares this song, would come out on stage.
Kany García and Nampa Básico performed ‘Duelo’ at the Movistar Arena.
Photo:
Three artists sang alongside the Puerto Rican
The Puerto Rican shed her long black coat. “Not because I want to be sexy, but because it’s very hot here,” she said while raising the temperature by singing with her guitar ‘Hoy ya me voy’, one of her most listened to songs since 2007.
Then, she ignited the stage with ‘Duele menos’ and ‘Amigo en el baño’. Melancholy took over the place when thanks to ‘Confieso’ the audience was able to remember their loved ones who are no longer here.
Later, Santiago Cruz accompanied her to perform ‘Y si te quedas, ¿qué?’, a song that, according to Kany García, was key in winning over her wife. They then shared ‘Para siempre’, one of the most significant themes for her audience, which at that moment assumed the leading role: thousands of voices united put the singer in the role of guitarist while they sang every stanza.
‘Y si te quedas ¿qué? and ‘Para siempre’ were the hits performed by Kany García and Santiago Cruz.
Photo:
Was the closing without her hit ‘García’?
The concert’s closing was marked by a small dose of suspense. After performing ‘Alguien’ and ‘Te lo agradezco’, Kany bid farewell by bowing while embracing her team, but the audience did not move from their spots: they knew two of the most requested anthems were still missing: ‘García’ and ‘DPM (De pxta madre)’.
The Movistar Arena shook when the violet lights turned back on, and the artist reappeared wearing a Colombia national team shirt, singing alongside Jorge Celedón ‘Esta vida’. In this way, the venue filled with vallenato and emotions. Finally, she performed her two anticipated songs, sealing her unbreakable bond with the country that has supported her since the beginnings of her career.
Kany García singing and dancing to the representative Colombian song ‘Esta vida’.
Photo:
Thus, amidst laughter, tears, and applause, Kany García offered a night that the people of Bogotá will not forget, reaffirming that her heart belongs to both Puerto Rico and Colombia. On September 27, the artist continues her performance in Medellín and on the 28th in the city of Barranquilla.
JOHAN REMOLINA AND DEYNER CAICEDO
MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM SCHOOL EL TIEMPO