The music of the late Mexican superstar Juan Gabriel will resonate in Mexico City’s Zócalo on Sunday (September 22), when his concert Mis 40 en Bellas Artes is projected at a free event organized by the capital’s Secretary of Culture.
“After the cancellation of the second screening at the Cineteca Nacional scheduled for September 14, the city government, committed to cultural access, is offering the country’s most important plaza and stage so that more people can enjoy this memorable concert in a festive and family-friendly environment to continue the patriotic celebrations,” announced the Secretary of Culture in a statement on Wednesday (September 18).
A screening of the aforementioned concert by the Divo de Juárez, organized by Universal Music, left hundreds of people outside the Cineteca Nacional on Friday (September 13) after the number of attendees exceeded the expectations of the organizers. A second screening scheduled for the following Saturday (September 14) had to be canceled as the venue could not accommodate the large crowd.
The organizers estimated that about 6,000 people arrived at the Cineteca Nacional last Friday to attend the event. Videos on social media show a large number of attendees who were left outside the venue, dancing and singing at the top of their lungs to the songs included in the concert — released by Virgin Music — undeterred by the rain that covered much of the city that afternoon.
“The turnout surpassed the historical attendance record set by Queen and the ‘Rock Montreal’ screening at the Rock Festival in the Cineteca Nacional,” the organizers said in a statement.
Mis 40 en Bellas Artes is one of the most iconic concerts that Juan Gabriel performed to celebrate his four decades of artistic career in August 2013, accompanied by the International Orchestra of the Arts and its choir. It features great hits from his discography, such as “Caray,” “He Venido a Pedirte Perdón,” “Querida,” “La Diferencia,” “Me Nace del Corazón,” “¿Por Qué Me Haces Llorar?,” “Abrázame Muy Fuerte,” and “Así Fue,” a song he performed on stage with Isabel Pantoja.
The screening of Juan Gabriel’s Mis 40 en Bellas Artes at the Zócalo is scheduled for 7 p.m. (local time).
