As Maná entered the bowels of the Kia Discussion board on Friday evening, its members obtained a royal welcome from the USC Marching Band, the Inglewood Excessive Faculty band and the Los Angeles Clippers Spirit Staff.
That night’s efficiency marked the Mexican rock band’s forty third enviornment present within the L.A. space, surpassing Bruce Springsteen’s file for many enviornment performances within the area.
In honor of Maná’s longstanding historical past with L.A. and the historic Discussion board venue, a everlasting wall set up was revealed backstage on the venue following their spectacle-filled arrival that learn: “Mana – Kings of L.A.”
Total, the Grammy winners have performed greater than 30 reveals on the Discussion board; in 2012, they performed 11 straight sold-out reveals at Staples Middle in help of their eighth album “Drama Y Luz.”
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Instances)
Additional tying them to L.A. is their star on the Hollywood Stroll of Fame, which was cemented in 2016.
Fashioned within the Mexican metropolis of Guadalajara within the mid-Nineteen Eighties, Maná first performed in L.A. in 1993 following the discharge of their acclaimed 1992 album “¿Dónde Jugarán los Niños?” The band was instrumental in popularizing the rock en español style, and their music is usually heard throughout the Southland, from home events to sporting occasions.
Earlier this yr, the Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame introduced that the group was among the many 14 artists nominated for the 2025 inductee class, alongside Oasis, Mariah Carey, Outkast and Cyndi Lauper.
Although the band was in the end not inducted into the Rock Corridor this yr, they represented the primary primarily Spanish-language act to be nominated for induction.
“This alone makes Maná’s nomination necessary in an more and more international society,” De Los contributing columnist Alex Zaragoza wrote again in February. “However when contemplating the Mexican band’s affect on Latin music, in addition to the Trump administration’s rising crackdowns on immigrants in the USA, their inclusion is crucial.”
Weeks after tens of 1000’s of Angelenos gathered for “No Kings” protests towards the insurance policies of President Trump, the newly minted “Kings of L.A.” confirmed solidarity with the numerous residents of their “second dwelling” who’ve been affected by the present administration’s actions in current months.
Manás Fher Olvera turns towards a cheering sellout crowd whereas performing with the band on the Kia Discussion board on Friday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Instances)
“L.A. has at all times been very influential for us … and we’ve seen town advanced,” lead singer Fher Olvera informed The Instances. “We’ve seen that Latinos have frequently gained energy, but additionally that the issues going through the group right here have grown, particularly over the previous couple of years.”
Following the preliminary wave of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that came about all through L.A. in June, Maná was among the many many artists that spoke out towards ICE’s actions by reaffirming that immigrants and Latinos “make this nation nice.”
“Proper now our message is to have religion, don’t despair,” Olvera stated. “Just like the Buddhists say, ‘Every thing shall move.’ And these issues can even move and fortunately it received’t take too lengthy [because] presidential time period don’t final so lengthy — though this time period has felt like 5 minutes underwater.”
Olvera expressed optimism about the way forward for Latinos within the U.S., pointing to the rising energy of the confounding Latino vote.
“The facility of Latinos will proceed on after this [period], and Latinos would be the ones to vary future elections,” he stated. “And that scares [politicians], however there’s no approach of going again.”
Drummer Alex Gonzalez famous that there hasn’t been any points with ICE at their live shows because the onset of Trump’s second time period and known as on Latinos to know and use their rights all through the nation.
That sentiment was extra clearly expanded on when the band closed out the Friday present with a truncated rendition of Bob Marley’s 1973 hit “Get Up, Stand Up.”
“Rise up, rise up / Arise in your proper / Rise up, rise up / Don’t quit the battle,” Olvera belted out after delivering an impassioned speech concerning the Latino group to the packed stadium.
“I believe it’s necessary to reap the benefits of the stage now we have to share messages concerning the setting and human rights,” guitarist Sergio Vallín informed The Instances. “[We’ve] additionally stood for one thing constructive for our followers.”
Mexican pop-rock band Maná performs on the Kia Discussion board in Inglewood.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Instances)
From their earliest tracks, the group has commented on social points in tracks similar to “Falta Amor,” “Me Voy a Convertir en Un Ave,” “Justicia, Tierra y Libertad” and their cowl of Rubén Blades’ “Desapariciones,” which discusses how dictatorships throughout Latin America have disappeared residents.
In 1996, Maná launched the Selva Negra Basis — named after a music launched that yr with the identical title — which protects species, restores ecosystems and promotes environmental training. They’ve additionally been vocal in defending susceptible sea turtle species in Mexico and prominently function sea turtle motifs of their live performance set designs.
Friday evening additionally served as an event for households to hold on the legacy of Maná fandom and to have cross-cultural connections by way of the band’s music.
Maritza Castillo was celebrating her forty eighth birthday along with her husband, two youngsters and siblings-in-law on the live performance. A local of San Miguel el Alto in Jalisco, Mexico, she was first uncovered to Maná at age 16.
“I really like Maná as a result of it brings me again to my youth and so they had been the primary live performance I’d ever been to right here within the States,” Castillo stated. “My love for the band is now transferring on to different generations. To have my son need to play their music within the automotive with out me asking, I’m like, ‘Wait, you want Maná?’ In order that’s made all of it very thrilling.”
With Maná additionally having roots within the Mexican state of Jalisco, Castillo expressed pleasure that her youngsters are connecting with their heritage by way of music historical past.
“I simply preserve attempting to move on our tradition to the children who’re grown up and born in L.A.”
