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Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich + Fussible brought Baja California vibes to Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium in New York City on Sunday night (July 23).
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Organized by the Baja California Institute of Culture and the state’s governor, Marina del Pilar Avila Olmeda, the two-hour show reminded audiences why the Tijuana duo is such an important electronic outfit, taking border culture to unimaginable heights.
“We are proud to have Baja Californians like Nortec who have been on the best stages in the world representing Baja California with their music, music that has undoubtedly made us dance in many corners of the planet,” Del Pilar told Billboard Español during the event. “Today we bring them to New York on this tour to promote our state, because Baja California is a magical place. We want to convey that music changes lives and has no borders.”
As part of an initiative to promote the beauty of Baja in a series of events highlighting Mexico’s gastronomy, wine, beer and handicrafts, Nortec’s music served as a point of reference for the originality that the region has to offer.
“We who are from Baja California are happy that [the government] is prompting these type of events,” said Fussible. “May they continue to bring more artists.”
The Nortec duo, which has a reputation performing at disparate events ranging from lavish international festivals to small dingy clubs, brought its unique fusion of Euro-style electronica with traditional norteña samples. They further enlivened the crowd with a full live band, consisting of an accordionist, a tuba and trumpet player, who got audiences to their feet.
Here are four reasons why Nortec will remain the enduring sound of border life and beyond.
Nortec made música norteña cool before it was trendy
Before the invention of trap corridos, sierreña music with an emo vibe, or the fusion of banda with rap (like Banda MS and Snoop), there was techno and norteño music, also known as Nortec. With a fascinating repertoire that highlighted more than two decades of intoxicating music, the duo proved their worth as pioneers of a genre that today deserves much more recognition.
Gemma Luz Sanchez
Nortec is symbolic of border culture
With stunning visuals depicting symbols of everyday border life — the vibrant folklore, the fence between the U.S. and Mexico adorned with art and crosses, playful images of stereotypes (like gun-toting ranchers) — the duo’s imagery is an integral aspect of the set. It also represents that hybrid culture in its sound, and what is associated with the region, such as banda music, norteño music, tambora, mixed with cultural exports like techno.
They continue to inspire new generations
Espectro Caudillo, an electronic music producer from Tijuana based in New York, doesn’t hold back when it comes to sharing how Nortec has influenced his work. “Nortec was always the benchmark for a successful electronic music project, because at one point Tijuana was the avant-garde city for electronic music in Mexico,” the producer tells Billboard Español. “The sound of Espectro Caudillo’s music is directly influenced by Nortec. Beyond setting the tone for a career, they are emblematic of a Tijuana generation of the 2000s.” The artist, formerly of Los Macuanos, will release his debut album La Liturgia del Tigre Blanco in October via Nacional Records.
The future of Nortec: Bostic + Fussible
This year the group celebrates 15 years of “Tijuana Sound Machine,” a song that put them on the international map and which continues to sound as vibrant as ever. Nortec is also keeping busy with plans to present new music in the upcoming months. “We’re going to do versions of Nortec but with a jazz context in the spirit of Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass,” says Bostich. “We’re going to present it in September in Ensenada, and bring something we haven’t done before.”
Like a number of cities across the U.S. this summer, Santa Clara, CA is getting ready for Taylor Swift‘s massive Eras Tour by giving itself a Swiftover. In this case, the Mission City’s Mayor announced this week that her town is gearing up for Swift’s July 28 and 29 dates at Levi’s Stadium by officially changing its name to “Swiftie Clara.”
According to the Mercury-News, on Tuesday night (July 18), Mayor Lisa Gillmor said in addition to the name change, the 33-year-old singer has also been named the honorary mayor in a proclamation that said the honor was being bestowed to “celebrate the positive local impact to the Santa Clara community, as well as the impact regionally, of Taylor Swift’s music, tours and extraordinary fanbase.”
Like so many Swifties who are paying tribute to the various Taylor eras with home-brewed costumes and arms full of friendship bracelets, Mayor Gillmor got into it at her press conference by wearing a light purple blazer in honor of last week’s release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). She also sported a friendship bracelet she got from a member of the city’s parks and rec staff that read “Swiftie Clara.”
“We’re thrilled to host an artist whose devotion to music and empowerment sets such a positive example for so many people of all ages in the world and that’s why we’re doing this,” Gillmor said, cueing up a video in which the mayor referenced a number of the singer’s most beloved hits. “So get ready to see ‘sparks fly’ as ‘the crowds in the stands went wild’ and to ‘shake it off’ while being a part of an unforgettable experience at Levi’s Stadium,” Gillmor said, in reference to the Swift songs “Sparks Fly,” “Long Live” and “Shake It Off.”
The two gigs at Levi’s Stadium are the penultimate stops on the U.S. run of the Eras Tour, which will wind down on August 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.
Gillmor is just the latest mayor to hand over the keys to Swift, following in the footsteps of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who last week said the city would temporarily switch up its name to Swiftieapolis, with Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz proclaiming June 23-24 “Taylor Swift Days.” Pittsburgh was renamed “Swiftsburgh” for a week in early June and a road near Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri already named Swift Street was flipped to “Swift Street (Taylor’s Version).”
The woman who was called out by Miranda Lambert for taking a selfie during the country star’s Las Vegas show on Saturday night said she was “appalled” by the reaction from the “We Should Be Friends” singer.
Vegas influencer Adela Calin told NBC News that she couldn’t believe it when Lambert paused in the middle of singing the ballad “Tin Man” after she eyed the woman and five or her friends posing for a mid-show selfie. “It was 30 seconds at most,” said Calin, 43. “We took the picture quickly and were going to sit back down.”
The moment was captured in a TikTok video in which Lambert had just started to perform her 2018 ACM song of the year winner during her Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo Las Vegas residency show. “I’m gonna stop right here for a second, I’m sorry,” Lambert told the audience at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino at Zappos Theater. “These girls are worried about their selfie and not listening to the song.”
Lambert was clearly irked by the distraction, adding, “It’s pissing me off a bit. Sorry, I don’t like it. At all. We’re here to hear some country music tonight. I’m singing some country d–n music.” She then motioned for the women to put their phones away and asked the crowd, “Shall we start again?” before re-booting the song to the crowd’s cheers. A spokesperson for Lambert had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on Calin’s interview at press time.
In the wake of a recent rash of incidents in which Latto, Lil Nas X, Bebe Rexha, Kelsea Ballerini, Harry Styles and Drake have been hit by objects thrown at them during recent concerts, Calin said she believes Lambert’s reaction may have had something to do with a heightened sensitivity around phones at show. And while she said she understood the concern for artist safety, Calin was disappointed by Lambert’s comments.
“It felt like I was back at school with the teacher scolding me for doing something wrong and telling me to sit down back in my place,” she said. “… I feel like she was determined to make us look like we were young, immature and vain. But we were just grown women in our 30s to 60s trying to take a picture.”
According to Calin, the group — who were seated close to the stage — tried to take a few shots before the show, but said the lighting was not good enough. She then asked a woman seated behind them to take a picture of her and her friends near the end of the set. “We just couldn’t get one good picture,” Calin said. “We were so excited because I think we had the best seats in the house in the whole theater.”
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Coldplay paid tribute to Elton John during the final stop of the legendary singer’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour in Sweden.
As John’s five-decade live career came to a close at Stockholm’s Tele2 Arena on Saturday (July 8), Chris Martin and Co. — who were simultaneously performing in Gothenburg, Sweden — appeared onscreen through a live video broadcast at John’s show to honor the musical icon.
After performing a moving cover of “Rocket Man” alongside his band, Martin gave a heartwarming speech about John’s remarkable career.
“Elton, from all of us here, from all the bands and all the artists that you’ve loved and inspired and helped, we just love you so much,” Martin said. “We are so grateful for everything you’ve done for us, everything you’ve done for the AIDS Foundation. Every time you’ve been kind to anybody.”
He continued, “For everything you’ve done for LGBTQ. Everything you’ve done for fashion and eyewear. Everything you’ve done for sexiness, and love and dressing gowns. Everything you’ve done for music, everything Bernie has done for lyrics, everything your band has done over the thousands of shows you’ve done. We love you so much, happy retirement, and we’re going to miss you so much.”
John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour launched in September 2018 in North America and went on to play 330 concerts around the globe. In January, it became the highest grossing tour in Billboard Boxscore history, passing Ed Sheeran’s The Divide Tour. As of dates reported to Boxscore through June 18, the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour had now grossed $910.4 million, making it the first tour to ever break the $900 million barrier. Last month, John received an award from Billboard for having the top-grossing tour of all time.
Prior to launching into “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” the final song of Saturday’s show in Sweden, John took a moment to look back on his spectacular body of work.
“I’ve had the most wonderful career, beyond belief,” he told the audience. “Fifty-two years of pure joy playing music. How lucky am I to play music? But you know, I wouldn’t be sitting here and talking to you if it wasn’t for you. You bought the singles, the CDs, the albums, the cassettes, but more importantly, you bought the tickets to the shows. You know how much I love to play live. It’s been my lifeblood to play for you guys. You’ve been absolutely magnificent.”
John continued, “I will never be touring again, but I may do something in the future — a one-off thing — but that’s miles away. I want to appreciate my family, my sons, my husband, everything. I’ve earned, it. And I don’t regret it tonight. I want to thank the band, the crew, everybody. I will miss you guys so much, but I’ll see you much sooner than you think. I love you guys!”
Watch John’s performance of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” at his final concert here.
Harry Styles brought a little ray of sunshine to a trio of Ukrainian refugees who fled their embattled country last year just months after the launch of Russia’s unprovoked war on its neighbor. The singer teamed with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to invited the women to his Love on Tour show in Warsaw, Poland’s PGE Narodowy Stadium on Sunday.
According to a post from the humanitarian aid organization, 13-year-old Daria, her mother Maryna and their friend Daria Kathina fled their hometown of Mykolayiv, Ukraine in July 2022 — more than four months after Russia’s Vladimir Putin launched the war — and have rebuilt their lives in Sosnowiec, Poland.
“I’m so grateful to Harry Styles and to the IRC, which has supported me to pursue my dream career in Poland, for giving us the chance to forget our worries for a night and sing and dance at the concert,” said Maryna in a statement on IRC’s Instagram page. The IRC thanked Styles for donating the tickets and for his continued support of the organization.
In addition, Maryna told the IRC, “Since being forced to leave our home in Ukraine last year, it’s been a challenge adjusting to life in a new country – especially for my daughter, Daria, and my 10-year-old son. I’m so grateful to Harry Styles and the IRC, which has supported me to pursue my dream career in Poland, for giving us the chance to forget our worries for a night, and sing and dance at the concert.”
In an accompanying video the three women are seen attending the show loaded down with bulging Styles swag bags and enjoying the gig from their primo seats.
The IRC also noted that Maryna has been participating in the IRC’s Step to Work project for Ukrainian refugees in Poland and is pursuing her dream of being a tram driver. The three women are among the nearly 6 million Ukrainians who’ve been forced to flee their homes, including more than 94,000 who’ve landed in Poland.
The next stop on Styles’ tour is in Vienna, Austria on Saturday (July 8), with the European leg of the trek slated to wind down on July 22 in Reggio Emilia, Italy at the RCF Arena.
Check out the IRC’s post below.
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