Mon Laferte

La Misa Negra

Date: May 26, 2017

Location: House of Blues, Anaheim

Story

I made the grave error of delaying buying tickets until two weeks prior to the concert. Low and behold it sold out a few weeks prior to the big day! I’ll never repeat the blunder of lingering to buy tickets to see an artist I love again. Like most individuals have advised me, “It’s not about if you should go to that concert, it’s if I can go.” Resale prices were ridiculously high ranging from $90 to $120; I don’t support individuals trying to profit off concerts as well. I screwed myself over but became determined in finding not only a ticket, but a physical ticket. My prayers were answered when I found a man on Facebook who had a ticket for sale. His friends bailed on him last minute of attending the concert. Their loss became my gain as I got my ticket after all, for a reasonable amount too of $50. Thank you Felix for the opportunity to attend this unforgettable night.

I arrived late that evening as I entered the venue an hour after doors had opened. No surprise that the venue at this point had became crowded from wall to wall. My luck continued as I located a spot with a perfect view of the stage. Once settled in I viewed La Misa Negra as they were in the middle of their energetic performance. Every member of the band had a high strong energy as they immersed themselves into the music. Without missing a beat the band danced, jumped, and swayed throughout the whole night. It got to the point where all my photos turned out blurry. Regardless, I truly loved their performance as their music got me dancing to their virulent beats. The charismatic female singer lead the band into an entertaining concert for the audience. Dressed all in black her strong vocals were beyond beautiful as they reached all corners of the venue. The cumbia hits kept on rolling as the crowd lost themselves in their dance. I need to mention the clarinetist and saxophonist who both delivered mind blowing solos. This Oakland cumbia and Afro-Columbia music based band thrilled the audience to no ends.

My first exposure to Mon Laferte occurred last year when I obtained the opportunity to photograph a Latino based festival. If I am not mistaken, this festival marked one of the times that she ventured into the United States to tour. My first impression of her was that she had a beautiful voice as well as being stunningly gorgeous. I became a fan of hers that night and eagerly waited the next moment when I would see her again in Southern California. It turned out to be a short wait as 8 months later she embarked on her Amárrame tour promoting her latest album “La Trenza.” Amárrame is the lead single from the album which features Colombian singer Juanes; a great song if you haven’t heard it. Now back to the concert at hand. The layout of the stage included a light up sign featuring her name, a bedside table with a function lamp on top, and a radio underneath the table. As the audience murmured among themselves the lights dimmed and the male members appeared on stage. All of them wore matching teal blue colored suits that brighten up the room. When Laferte stepped on stage, it felt as if a ray of sunshine engulfed the stage. The crowd roared with ecstatic screams as the lovely singer made her way to the center of the stage. The singer appeared stunning with her teal blue, white ruffled dress, and of course had a large rose in her hair.

She opened up strongly singing Tormento which caused the audience to scream even louder. During that whole majestic performance members of the audience held up large bouquets of flowers for the singer. She approached the edge of the stage without missing a note as she gleefully accepted each gift from her adoring fans. From the start Laferte had an exuberant time as she twirled her dress and danced throughout the evening. She took it up a notch with Vuelve Por Favor which blew me away. The catchy song Pa’ Dónde Se Fue played next, but my favorite played after that one; Si Tú Me Quisieras. Prior to this night I never heard that song, but I loved it the instant I heard it. “Ay, ay, ay de mí De este amor que se metió y que se dispara.” Those were the lyrics which I tried singing along to even though I barely knew the words. Primaveral had a fun upbeat sound as the previous songs had. By this time in the concert the audience were singing and dancing along to everything the singer sang to them. Suddenly the night turned emotional as the singer emerged with El Cristal and La Trenza. She paid a touching tribute to Juan Gabriel, who passed away in 2016, with her performance of El Cristal. Cielito De Abril, Yo Te Qui, and Flor De Amapola continued showcasing the range of Laferte holds. The artist has the power to make the audience feel what she’s going through in every song whether she’s experiencing love or heartbreak.

At the middle of the concert Laferte brings a man on stage to the surprise of many. Handing him the microphone the man stated, “Yo te amo mucho, pero amo a mi novio mas!” The crowd erupted with cheers as his boyfriend made his way on stage. Once on stage the man confessed his love to his boyfriend and proposed to him. The boyfriend accepted the proposal and the two passionately kissed one another. In a turn of events the man turned out to be surprised when his boyfriend took a ring out to propose to him too. My heart warmed viewing this whole interaction play out on stage. Laferte smiled happily through all of this and even posed for a selfies with the newly engaged couple. She dedicated her song song, Amor Completo to the engaged couple after they left the stage. After Flaco, she covered a cover of Los Saicos’s Ana flawlessly. I wish Juanes would make a surprise appearance during Amárrame, but that turned out to be wishful thinking. Despite that, Laferte gave a remarkable number that turned out to be my favorite of the night. Around this time Laferte busted out a harmonica playing it masterfully. During No Te Fumes Mi Marihuana she jumped into the crowd! She body surfed to the middle of the venue before being taken back on stage. For a brief second it appeared that the crowd were going to drop her. Luckily that did not happen, but I almost had a mini heart attack seeing that. As the night progressed Laferte paid tribute to another artist that night, Selena. Her touching tribute of Si Una Vez had everyone in the crowd singing along. The fun continued with El Diablo, Que Si, and Mi Buen Amor following suit. The night ended on a memorable note as Laferte gave a fierce performance of Tu Falta De Querer.

My favorite moment of the concert occurred when the singer mentioned her citizenship. Though born in Chile she moved at a young age to live in Mexico. Being a citizenship of both countries she considers herself both Chilean and Mexican. The crowd greeted her with a strong applause from her little announcement. I love hearing Latin artist speak about their humble beginnings while not forgetting their roots. If you’ve been to one of her concerts, you can tell how humble and genuine Mon Laferte is. She did not disappoint at all and delivered one of the best performances that I’ve seen so far this year. Laferte laughed, danced, and twirled throughout the night. Her vocals are so beautiful I shouldn’t have been surprised at how fast her show sold out. She’s absolutely marvelous and can deliver one incredible concert. I cannot wait for another opportunity to see her and this time I will buy my tickets on time.

Mon Laferte Setlist

1. Tormento

2. Vuelve Por Favor

3. Pa’ Dónde Se Fue

4. Si Tú Me Quisieras

5. Primaveral

6. El Cristal

7. La Trenza

8. Cielito De Abril

9. Yo Te Qui

10. Flor De Amapola

11. Amor Completo

12. Flaco

13. Ana (Los Saicos cover)

14. Amárrame

15. No Te Fumes Mi Marihuana

16. Si Una Vez (Selena cover)

17. El Diablo

18. Que Si

19. Mi Buen Amor

20. Tu Falta De Querer

Trivial Notes

5th time at the House of Blues, Anaheim.

2nd time seeing Mon Laferte, 1st time seeing La Misa Negra.

Sold out show!

Mon Laferte’s official Instagram page liked two of photos I tagged her in.