As sunset crept in, the festival dreams felt for a moment like a dream with Maluma as his main star — that is, until the nightmarish rain showed up.
Sandwiched between two corrido bélico acts (Gabito Ballesteros and Peso Pluma), Maluma had the difficult job of keeping his audience entertained during an era that is unwaveringly focused on Mexican music. Maluma has dabbled in that world himself with collab hits like “Segun Quien” alongside Carin Leon and his newly released feature on Grupo Frontera’s “Por que sera”
For all the smoke and fog, Maluma’s entrance was a breath of fresh air as he kicked off his set with “Coco Loco,” a merengue-laced reggaeton song that got everyone shuffling their feet in the mud.
The 30-year-old has been in the music industry long enough to deliver an outstanding performance filled with nostalgic hits and compelling ad libs, highlighting his collab songs “Vente Pa’ Ca” with Ricky Martin and “Chantaje” with Shakira in his shortened set.
“There is nothing more beautiful in the world than being Latino,” the Colombian star said, giving a nod to the diaspora.
I have shared a bit of his own journey as a fresh-faced singer from Medellin who had newly arrived in the US to pursue his dreams as a singer. His story set the stage for a more sentimental pace, one that became the tempo for a more melodic rendition of his hit song “Hawaii.”
Although he started to sing along to the catchy beat, he broke away from his gold mic and let the fans take it away with their own a cappella version. Surprisingly, and rather beautifully, people kept up.
And as the clouds began to fill the skies again, Maluma embraced the crowd singing along to his music with his bare chest puffed up to the heavens.
At this point, Maluma had to have known the festival would soon come to close, and if he didn’t, Sueños attendees were already looking at the weather advisory on their phone.
Halfway through “Felices los 4,” Maluma bid his farewell rather gracefully despite the circumstances. “They made me cut my set short,” he told everyone, and madness dreams.
But even in an abbreviated set, “Maluma baby” proved he’s got way more to give.
Chino Pacas of Street Mob Records joined Gabito Ballesteros on stage. The Mexican singer-songwriters are rising corrido tumbado artists, blending traditional Mexican ballads with hip-hop elements.
“A cheer for the Latinos!” a high-pitched Jowell called to damp Sueños attendees who waited out the weather. Although the two set expectations were high, the remainder of their set was at times hard to follow.
Sueños organizers delayed the start of Day 2, and the Maxwell Street Market closed early on Sunday because of the rain.
The set, scheduled for Sunday afternoon at Grant Park, was canceled due to issues on both sides, organizers said.
Yet the Sueños headliner filled Grant Park for the first night of Chicago’s biggest annual Latin music event.
A crowd gathered at Grant Park to enjoy the city’s largest Latin music festival, which is expected to draw a joyful audience again on Sunday.
They were detached at times, but fans showed they knew all the words to “LISA” and “Riri.”
