Latin American promoting giant Ocesa has confirmed concerts by Green Day, Linkin Park and Guns N’ Roses as part of the opening lineup for Vive Claro in Colombia.

The 40,000-capacity venue, located in the Salitre area of the capital Bogotá, will open on 27 July with a concert from Colombian married duo Jessi Uribe and Paola Jara.

Green Day is currently the first international act due to perform at Vive Claro on 24 August, followed by Guns N’ Roses (7 October) and Linkin Park (25 October), while My Chemical Romance are scheduled to perform on 22 January 2026.

Vive Claro arena opens as part of a new 24-hectare Distrito Verde (Green District), which also comprises a green area to host festivals and other attractions and a 5,800-capacity pavilion for circuses, large-format exhibitions and cultural and corporate events.

Luz Ángela Castro, CEO of Ocesa Colombia, previously revealed that the project cost more than US$22 million.

“Distrito Verde is the result of the vision of the growth of the live entertainment industry in Colombia”

“Distrito Verde is the result of the vision of the growth of the live entertainment industry in Colombia, enabling a multipurpose space that combines the environmental recovery of a piece of land with the versatility and adaptation of that space to host concerts, exhibitions and gastronomic festivals, among others,” he added.

“It is a multipurpose space that offers comfort and ease in all its experiences, with large green areas outdoors, ideal for holding different events aimed at all types of public.”

Live Nation secured a controlling interest in Mexican-headquartered Ocesa in December 2021. Via Ocesa, it expanded its presence in Latin America last year by acquiring a majority stake in leading Colombian promoter Páramo Presenta.

Páramo is best known for its flagship four-day event Estereo Picnic, the biggest music festival in Colombia, as well as Bogotá’s Baum Festival and Knotfest.

Bogotá is home to other notable venues including the 24,000-cap MedPlus Coliseum and 13,000-cap Movistar Arena, as well as the El Campín Stadium and Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park.

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I’ve worked in the live entertainment industry for over 20 years, and I can confidently say I’ve had the privilege of witnessing some truly unforgettable concerts. Yet, I don’t recall anything quite like the phenomenon that has been Shakira’s return to Mexico as part of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour. What we’ve experienced across Latin America in recent months has gone far beyond the usual definition of a successful tour – it’s been a cultural and economic event, a celebration of the power of Latin music, and a reminder of the deep emotional connection Shakira holds with her longtime fans and the new generations she continues to inspire.

From the moment we announced shows in Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Mexico City, it became clear something extraordinary was happening. Tickets for the initial dates sold out within minutes. When we added more shows at Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City, it happened again. In less than a week, we had sold out four nights – an exceptional achievement for any artist but especially for a Latina artist who hadn’t toured in seven years. Shakira didn’t just sell out her concerts; she became the first art- ist ever to perform seven consecutive shows at the venue, breaking all existing records and drawing over 400,000 fans in just 12 days – in Mexico City alone.

According to Despegar (one of Latin America’s leading online travel agencies), flight and hotel searches for Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Mexico City increased by 43% around the concert dates, with Monterrey showing an impressive 66% spike in hotel demand.

But the numbers only tell part of the story. Yes, around 1.3m people across Latin America have already experienced the tour live (in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Chile, and Argentina) but nothing compares to what happened in Mexico. OCESA, as part of Live Nation, played a key role in bringing Shakira back to the country for this historic run, and we’re excited to welcome her again this August for a second leg following her US tour.

As someone behind the scenes, I witnessed firsthand the scale required to bring Shakira’s vision to life. In Mexico alone, over 1,800 people worked on building her show, clocking more than 56 hours of non-stop labour. We moved 90 tons of gear in 50 trucks, the lighting package included nearly 1,000 moving heads, and installed 210 cabinets, plus huge delays to create a production that felt both explosive and intimate. The audience’s energy met the show’s grandeur in a way I’ve rarely seen – and I’ve seen a lot.

Shakira herself, of course, was everything. She is arguably the most versatile international artist out there – a complete performer. From her songwriting and iconic catalogue of hits to flawless vocal and instrumental execution to authentic choreography and her singular stage presence, she commands not only the performance but the entire audiovisual experience like no one else.

“Shakira has always had a deep-rooted bond with Mexican audiences. But this return, her first in over six years, came with a different kind of energy”

Throughout the shows, she created moments that will stay in the memories of those who were there, forever: bringing out Grupo Frontera to sing (Entre Paréntesis), sharing heartfelt words about her love for Mexico, and inviting Liliana Melgar, the woman behind her song El Jefe, on stage in one of the tour’s most personal highlights. These are the types of moments no amount of planning can manufacture; they’re born from genuine connection.

Beyond the stage, the tour’s impact was felt across the cities. In Guadalajara alone, the economic impact was estimated at 900m pesos (approx. $53m) over a single weekend. Hotels, restaurants, transport – every sector benefited from the influx, with ripple effects across the entire local economy.

Shakira has always had a deep-rooted bond with Mexican audiences. But this return, her first in over six years, came with a different kind of energy. Entire generations showed up: parents who grew up with ¿Dónde Están los Ladrones? now bringing their kids who know her from BZRP Music Sessions or the Super Bowl. The emotional charge was unlike anything we’ve seen before in a stadium setting.

From the stage design to the setlist, everything was crafted to reflect that intimacy at scale. And fans responded with a fervour that, frankly, broke every projection we had.

For those of us who work in live entertainment, these are the moments that remind us why we do what we do. It’s not just about selling tickets or building stages – it’s about creating experiences that bring people together, that leave a mark not just in their memories but in the places they live.

Jorge Cambronero is an executive promoter at OCESA 

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Lady Gaga kicked off her highly anticipated The Mayhem Ball tour at the weekend, following her revered performances at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Last night, the superstar delivered the second of two sold-out shows at the Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City, with 61,000 fans in attendance according to promoter Ocesa.

The Live Nation-backed tour sold out during its 3 April onsale, after fans rushed to snap up tickets to 45 shows across North America and Europe.

Thirteen extra dates were added to the outing, which saw promoters double her run at New York City’s Madison Square Garden (cap. 19,500) to a total of six nights at the iconic venue. The new additions also sold out.

The CAA-repped act is now gearing up for her landmark free concert on Rio’s Copacabana Beach

The Mayhem Ball marks Gaga’s first North American and Europe/UK run since her 2022 Chromatica Ball Tour, which grossed $112.4 million from 834,000 tickets sold according to Billboard Boxscore.

That endeavour saw the 14-time Grammy Award-winner perform in stadiums, while this trek sees her return to arena-level for the first time in seven years.

The CAA-repped act is now gearing up for her landmark free concert on Rio’s Copacabana Beach, produced by promoter Bonus Track in partnership with Live Nation.

Bonus Track CEO and legendary promoter Luiz Oscar Niemeyer gave IQ a behind-the-scenes look at next weekend’s concert.

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Shakira has wrapped the first Latin America leg of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran Tour, having sold 1.3 million tickets and broken several records.

The Live Nation-produced outing comprised 25 sold-out shows across 11 stadiums in Latin America between 11 February and 14 April.

More than two million fans had registered for the Latin America leg of the tour – the 47-year-old’s first outing since the 2018 El Dorado World Tour – and nearly 700,000 tickets sold in less than two hours of going on sale.

During the tour, the superstar made history by becoming the first artist to hold seven shows at Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City, attracting 455,000 fans to the residency.

The Barranquilla-born star also broke records in Colombia by becoming the first artist to perform in six stadiums in her native country.

Shakira will return to Mexico for 13 encore performances in the region

In addition to Mexico and Colombia, the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran Tour visited Brazil, Peru, Argentina and Chile, generating major boosts to the local economies.

The Mexico residency reportedly generated around 5.5 billion pesos (approximately $275 million), while her two-night stand in Guadalajara had an economic impact of 900 million pesos (€42 million).

In Colombia, hotel occupancy rates soared to 95% in cities like Barranquilla, Medellín, and Bogotá.

The tour also sparked major travel activity, with a 41.5% increase in flight demand and a 47% spike in accommodation searches across platforms like Despegar. In Argentina, searches to attend the show skyrocketed by 400%.

Next month, the WME-repped act embarks on her retooled US and Canada leg, which visits cities such as Charlotte, Montreal, Toronto, Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and more, before wrapping up on 30 June in San Francisco at Oracle Park.

She’ll then return to Latin America for 13 encore performances in Mexico and two in Peru.

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One million people have attended Shakira’s record-breaking Latin American stadium tour so far, according to promoter Ocesa.

The Colombian star has completed 18 concerts on this leg of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran Tour and still has 12 left to go – including four newly added Mexico dates in August and September.

They include an eighth show at the GNP Seguros Stadium in Mexico City on August 29, as well as dates at Corregidora Stadium in Querétaro (2 September), Akron Stadium in Guadalajara (6 September) and Cuauhtémoc Stadium in Puebla (12 September).

This brings her total number of Mexico shows up to 15 and includes a record-breaking seven-night run at GNP Seguros Stadium in Mexico City, which she is currently in the midst of.

With this feat, the 38-year-old surpasses shows by other international figures such as Paul McCartney, Metallica, Coldplay, and Taylor Swift.

The singer earned $32.9 million from 282,000 tickets sold in February

The Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran Tour kicked off on 11 February in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and has so far visited six countries in Latin America. The Mexico City residency will be followed by one date in the Dominican Republic and more shows in Chile and Colombia.

Last month, Shakira was forced to postpone two shows: Estadio Atanasio Girardot in Medellín, Colombia on 24 February due to safety concerns and Estadio Nacional in Lima, Peru on 16 February after being hospitalised with an abdominal issue.

Despite that, the singer topped Billboard’s monthly Top Tours chart for the first time, earning $32.9 million from 282,000 tickets sold in February.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that Shakira’s two-night stand in the Mexican city of Guadalajara had an economic impact of 900 million pesos (€42 million).

The WME-repped act will embark on her retooled US and Canada leg, produced by Live Nation, on 13 May. Stops include Charlotte, Montreal, Toronto, Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and more, before wrapping up on 30 June in San Francisco at Oracle Park.

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Lady Gaga has announced her first Mexico headline show in 13 years in support of her forthcoming album, Mayhem.

The superstar will return to Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City on the 26 April 2025, where she performed on The Born This Way Ball tour in 2012.

The stadium show – produced by Live Nation and OCESA – will take place a week prior to her free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The 3 May show, which will mark Gaga’s first show in the country since 2012, will take place on a custom stage and be broadcast live on Brazilian TV.

Produced by promoter Bonus Track in partnership with Live Nation, the gig will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis for those arriving at Copacabana Beach near the Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel on the day of the event.

Alanis Morissette has announced that she will be headlining London’s The O2 on Sunday 27 July

Billie Eilish, meanwhile, has set a new attendance record at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, owned by TEG and operated by ASM Global.

The American singer celebrated the end of her Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour by breaking the long-standing single event attendance record previously set by Justin Timberlake for the FutureSex/LoveShow Tour 18 years prior.

Approximately 21,000 fans attended Eilish’s 28 February 2025 show, eclipsing the previous mark of 20,839 held by Timberlake for the 13 November 2007 show. Three of her four nights at Qudos Bank Arena eclipsed the previous record.

In other news, Alanis Morissette has announced that she will be headlining London’s The O2 on Sunday 27 July – the final date on the European leg of her 2025 World Tour.

Morissette is set for a run of shows across the UK & Ireland this summer including Blackweir in Cardiff (2 July) where she is set to become the first artist to play Live Nation’s brand-new venue.

Slayer have announced their first UK performances in six years

Other dates include Dublins Malahide Castle (29 June), Belfast’s Ormeau Park (30 June), TK Maxx presents Lytham Festival (4 July), OVO Hydro Glasgow (5 July), London’s The O2 (27 July).

The iconic singer-songwriter will also deliver an eight-date residency at the Colosseum at Caesars in Las Vegas this October.

The Offspring have added a North America leg to their Supercharged Worldwide in ’25 Tour, which kicks off tomorrow (5 March) with a nine-date leg in South America.

Following that, the American rock band will perform four dates in Japan and six dates in Australia. The 34-date North America leg commences on 11 July and concludes on 7 September, and features special guests Jimmy Eat World and New Found Glory.

Meanwhile, Slayer have announced their first UK performances in six years, performing at London’s Finsbury Park on 6 July and Blackweir Fields in Cardiff on 3 July.

Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Mastodon, Hatebreed and Neckbreakker will join the band for their biggest-ever UK shows.

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Competing with last year’s record edition of Corona Capital was no small feat but lead talent buyer Ricardo Gómez says Mexico’s biggest festival is on an upward trajectory.

The 14th edition of the Ocesa-promoted festival took place last week (15–17 November) at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez racetrack in Mexico City.

The Friday drew 74,000 attendees for performances from the likes of Green Day, Toto and Zedd, while the Saturday attracted 69,000 for a lineup headlined by Shawn Mendes, Melanie Martinez and New Order.

Thanks to a headline set by Paul McCartney, the Sunday drew the largest number of attendees in the history of Corona Capital with nearly 82,000 people. It marked the ex-Beatle’s debut at a Latin American music festival and the grand finale of his tour in the region.

“Having a legend like Paul McCartney playing in the festival was nothing short of a dream come true for many of us,” Gómez told IQ.

“There is an amazing team behind Corona Capital and every year we look for opportunities to improve and ask ourselves how can we make the festival better?” he adds. “Based on the overall experience this year and the feedback we’ve received so far, it seems that we’re moving in the right direction.”

Though Corona Capital is going from strength to strength, the talent buyer is candid about the current challenges in the festival landscape.

“Having a legend like Paul McCartney playing in the festival was nothing short of a dream come true for many of us”

“Although 2023 was a record year for us, we had many important lessons to learn this year, from pricing to bookings, schedules, profitability, marketing, etc,” he says.

“Nowadays, the way most artists approach festival performances from a production perspective is particularly challenging. In the past most non-headliners would feel comfortable sharing a common festival rider. Now every artist from top to bottom wants their own rider for their performance. While we understand that they want to deliver the best possible show for their fans and maximize the event’s success, finding the right balance can be difficult.”

It’s perhaps these challenges that have led to Ocesa hitting pause on sister event Corona Capital Guadalajara, as well as Tecate Coordenada – also based in Guadalajara.

As Ocesa’s head of festivals, Leizer Guss, told IQ earlier this year, the company is “reassessing” its vast stable of events.

“I think we are getting to that saturation point,” said Guss. “Is that saturation point because of festivals or because of festivals plus shows? We are figuring it out. Either way, we’ll take a step back and won’t launch any new festivals in Mexico City next year.

“We’ll also take a very close look at our existing festivals and ask ‘Is this really an annual thing or is it bi-annual or a once-off when the conditions are right’?”

The Live Nation-backed promoter organises 23 festivals across the country including ARRE, Vive Latino, Hera and Coca-Cola Flow Fest – which is taking place this weekend.

Closing the chapter on this year’s Corona Capital, Gómez says: “We’re extremely lucky to have such an amazing group of extremely hard-working people behind the festival, who are so committed and passionate about what they do. Without them Corona Capital wouldn’t be where it is today.”

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Colombian superstar Shakira has shattered on-sale records for the Latin America leg of her 2025 Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (Women Don’t Cry Anymore) World Tour.

The star sold out 13 stadiums on the continent last week, with nearly 700,000 tickets sold in less than two hours, according to Ocesa.

More than two million fans had registered for the Latin America leg of the tour – the 47-year-old’s first outing since the 2018 El Dorado World Tour.

Due to the demand, new dates have been added for Monterrey’s BBVA Stadium, Guadalajara’s Akron Stadium and Mexico City’s Seguros Stadium.

The 20-date tour will kick off on 11 February 2025 at Nilton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and visit Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Peru and Colombia.

The stint will see Shakira deliver four stadium dates in her native Colombia at Metropolitan Stadium (Barranquilla), Atanasio Girardot Stadium (Medellin) and two at El Campin Stadium (Bogota).

More than two million fans had registered for the Latin America leg of the tour

It will mark the first time she’s performed in her hometown of Barranquilla in 19 years.

Before heading to Latin America, the star will kick off the North American leg of the tour on 2 November at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California.

The 17-date stint will stop at arenas across the US before wrapping up on 15 December at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

North America and Latin America are currently the only markets confirmed for the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, which is in support of her LP of the same name that dropped in March – her first new album in seven years.

Following its release, the set landed at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums chart, a feat that made her the first woman to secure No. 1 albums in four different decades. It recently scored a Latin Grammy nomination for album of the year.

Shakira is represented by WME worldwide.

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Mexico’s biggest promoter Ocesa has hailed a successful first year of VIBRA, its initiative for fans with hearing disabilities.

Through VIBRA, more than 1,000 hearing-impaired fans have benefited from state-of-the-art sensory vests and interpretation in Mexican Sign Language (LSM).

The vests include six sensors ‘strategically’ placed on the back, chest and hip, converting music into vibrations that the user can feel.

The system features a transmitter that can connect directly to the show’s main audio console, ensuring an interference-free, high-fidelity experience.

The system features a transmitter that, with the artist’s permission, connects directly to the show’s main audio console

This allows people with hearing disabilities to identify and enjoy the different frequencies, from the deepest bass to the most subtle voices.

In addition to sensory technology, LSM interpretation has been an important part of VIBRA’s success, according to Ocesa.

Specialised interpreters not only translate the lyrics of the songs but also capture and convey the artist’s emotions.

VIBRA was launched under Ocesa’s Foundation, which was founded in 2023 to provide vulnerable communities with access to live entertainment events.

As part of the Foundation’s ticketing initiative, beneficiaries of civil associations (nonprofit organisations) are invited to attend concerts, festivals and plays free of charge.

So far this year, 15,628 people have benefitted from free tickets, and a total of 52,326 people have benefitted since the Foundation opened.

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Ocesa’s head of festivals Leizer Guss has spoken to IQ about the challenges and opportunities in Mexico’s rapidly developing festival market.

The Live Nation-backed promoter organises 23 festivals across the country including Coca-Cola Flow Fest, ARRE, Vive Latino and Hera – the majority of which take place in the second half of the year.

Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC), however, has already toasted a successful 2024 edition with a record 100,000 daily attendees. The 10th edition saw the likes of Steve Aoki, Skrillex, Deadmau5 and Armin van Buuren perform at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez between 23–25 February.

“We had a very solid dance music lineup – nothing out of the ordinary,” Guss tells IQ. “With an annual three-day festival with nine stages, you repeat acts every two or three years. But it was an anniversary edition and so there were fans who had been there from the very beginning of EDC Mexico and new fans who are in their prime raving years.”

Meanwhile, Tecate Emblema “took a step forward” with its 2024 edition, according to Guss, with a blockbuster lineup that included Calvin Harris, Christina Aguilera, Sam Smith and Nelly Furtado. “It’s still finding its essence but it’s always growing – even if in small steps,” he adds.

Looking towards the company’s busiest season for festivals, Guss is realistic about the fortunes of the remaining events.

“We launched ARRE festival last year and it was like catching lightning in a bottle”

“Coca-Cola Flow Fest won’t grow this year because the genre has stabilized and Corona Capital will have a decent year because it’s very well-established,” he says. “We launched ARRE festival last year and did numbers that we would never expect for a first year – it was born as a four-year-old.

“The fans are still there but it’s not sustainable to maintain the growth of last year – it was like catching lightning in a bottle.”

As Guss points out, most of Ocesa’s events are genre-driven, which means the success of an edition hinges largely on where the genre is at that time.

“It’s all cyclical. It’ll be a good year for dance music and then it’ll be a bad year – fans change their minds a lot,” he adds. But the festivals are tied to their genres for better or worse: “The worst-ever edition of Corona Capital [a predominantly rock festival] is when we started going into the DJ world and fans didn’t like that,” laughs Guss.

One advantage of organising genre-driven festivals is that the widely reported ‘headliner drought’ hasn’t had as much impact. “Getting headliners wasn’t as hard because you simply look for the biggest artist in the genre,” he says. “You don’t need the multi-dimensional popstars like Billie Eilish who are non-existent at festivals this year.”

However, the promoter has found it hard to contend with the rewards of a booming touring business, which artists are increasingly choosing over the festival circuit.

“The Live Nation acquisition has taken us to the next level”

“After the pandemic, the touring business was so wildly successful that bigger acts started taking a lot more money,” says Guss. “When they came off that cycle two years later, they decided they’ll only go back out for the same money. So they’re deciding between that and festivals. But mid-tier festivals can’t pay what new headliners are asking.

“And when you don’t have ‘real’ headliners, fans start to see it and say ‘Oh we’ll go to the festival next year’. The Y.O.L.O mentality that was present in the aftermath of the pandemic has gone.”

Fortunately for Ocesa, which has both a festival arm and a touring business, there’s potential for the two to go hand-in-hand rather than work against each other. And with Mexico’s live music market rapidly developing and the backing of Live Nation, Ocesa’s deals are more attractive than ever.

“The acquisition has taken us to the next level,” says Guss. “We can get to an artist and give them a 24-month plan for Mexico that includes touring and festivals. We can say ‘Come and do a stadium run right now with crazy money’ and do festivals next year. Even though it looks smaller, it gives them something to do in a year and a half.

“We are taking bigger risks, betting on artists now and paying them something that looks ridiculous, but in three or six months, it might be low. And some of them will want to come back and renegotiate but that’s the new part of the game.”

“We are taking bigger risks, betting on artists now and paying them something that looks ridiculous, but in three or six months, it might be low”

According to Guss, major international artists are now putting Mexico in their world tours from the get-go but there’s still some way to go until standalone tours are viable.

“Mexico City is a huge market compared to LA or New York but the problem is that touring by ground for an Anglo artist isn’t up to scratch yet,” says Guss. “You’re really talking about touring three cities: Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Local production in these cities is getting to a point where you can ask for whatever you need and it’ll be there so now we’re developing the next three or four cities so artists can bring their production and tour like in the US.”

Looking to the future of Ocesa’s festival business, Guss says the company will “reassess” its vast stable of events.

“I think we are getting to that saturation point,” he says. “Is that saturation point because of festivals or because of festivals plus shows? We are figuring it out. Either way, we’ll take a step back and won’t launch any new festivals in Mexico City next year.

“We’ll also take a very close look at our existing festivals and ask ‘Is this really an annual thing or is it bi-annual or a once-off when the conditions are right’?

“I think, generally, festivals will have ‘off years’ where we lose some of the hype and we’ll have to work and get creative. If a fan is paying top dollar for a festival, it has to be one of the most special days of the year.”

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