“I want any Venezuelan watching this to feel empowered, to know that there’s nothing that holds us back,” Beto Montenegro told the crowd
The Caracas band Rawayana had plans to tour in Venezuela recently. But when political turmoil — and tension with the country’s president Nicolás Maduro — forced them to cancel, the band suddenly had a new idea: They decided to dedicate their Coachella set on Saturday to their homeland and all the fans who have been supporting them.
“Honestly, we’re scratching the itch after not being able to play in Venezuela,” vocalist Beto Montenegro told Billboard Español in an interview. “Our idea is to bring the Venezuelan Caribbean to Coachella. That’s the concept of the show. And to dedicate this to all the people who couldn’t see us in December.”
As the band took the Gobi stage at 11 p.m. on Saturday, it was clear just how seriously they’d taken their mission. They had set up the stage to look like a beach in the city of La Guaira, and fans flocked over both drawn by the music and the creative visual set up. Opening with the smooth, feel-good track “Nada Malo,” featuring Bebo Dumont, who helped the band immediately launch into party mode. From there, they had more surprise guests join them: Servando came onboard for “La Tormenta,” and Puerto Rican artist Rafa Pabon linked up for “Miel.” (“I want us to close our eyes and imagine a direct flight between Puerto Rico and Venezuela,” Montenegro told the crowd.)
Fellow Venezuelan star Danny Ocean stopped by for “Binikini,” one of the highlights of the set. (In between, little vendors pretended to sell sunglasses and inflatables.) And throughout the set, Montenegro continued making calls back to anyone tuning in from home on YouTube, where the show was streamed. Just before they closed off with “Veneka,” featuring rapper Akapellah, they sent a final message of pride and strength: “I want any Venezuelan watching this to feel empowered, to know that there’s nothing that holds us back. There’s nothing that fucking holds us back,” he said.
