On Friday, March 15, rising regional Mexican artist Christian Nodal headlined Billboard’s annual THE STAGE at SXSW live performance sequence, which takes over Austin’s Mood Amphitheater inside Waterloo Park. Nodal delivered the second of three stellar performances as a part of the sequence, together with PartyNextDoor, who kicked issues off on Thursday, and Illenium, who will shut out the set on Saturday.
Following a rousing opening set from Estevie, at 9:23 p.m. Nodal’s expansive band had began to line up alongside either side of the staired stage – prompting the gang to burst out in screams. Two minutes later, Banderas’ “Alma de Guitarra” begins to blare from the audio system as everybody settles into place. And simply earlier than 9:30, Nodal himself emerges atop the steps whereas triumphantly elevating his arms within the air and taking a bow.
Throughout the set, Nodal – who pioneered mariacheño, a subgenre that fuses mariachi’s strings and horns with the norteño accordion – leans into his heartthrob enchantment, blowing kisses and flashing his heat smile that might soften an iceberg. “The most beautiful thing is to flow with what is happening,” he mentioned in his current Billboard cowl story. “I’ll just keep releasing music from my heart [and] enjoy the process and what my fans have given me.”
THE STAGE takes place from March 14-16 as a part of SXSW, Austin’s annual music, movie and tech pageant, and options performances from Billboard’s newest cowl stars: Party, Nodal, and Illenium. Tickets could be bought right here.
Last 12 months’s THE STAGE headliners included Lil Yachty, Feid and Kx5.
Read on for the 5 greatest moments from Nodal’s present under.
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The Strength of His Band
Nodal’s band is mighty – each in measurement and ability. He was accompanied by a six-piece mariachi string and horn part – all of whom wearing attractive crimson fits – together with a seven-piece backing band – dressed in additional delicate black fits – that included two percussionists, a vocalist and, after all, an accordion participant.
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His Rockstar Swagger
Dressed in steel-toe boots, leather-based flare pants, an embroidered vest and blinged out cross necklace – plus his ever-present face tattoos – Nodal embodies a modern-day rockstar. He even takes a web page from Post Malone’s guide and infrequently lights a cigarette onstage, smoking it in between lyrics and briefly disappearing into little clouds of smoke. And when the packed crowd chants “Chris-ti-an!” he does what any rocker would: fist pumps to the beat.
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His (Literal) Hat Tricks
During “Ayayay,” Nodal tosses his hat into the gang like a frisbee as on-stage sparklers mild up. The artist replaces his hat with one other, solely this time it’s a baseball cap that reads “Nodal” – although he doesn’t maintain onto that one lengthy, both. He quickly throws that into the viewers as properly, solely to exchange it with the identical conventional hat as earlier than – and the cycle continues. Throughout the set, Nodal wears and offers away 5 of his personal hats – to not point out those thrown onstage that he would signal and check out on earlier than handing again. But of all of the hats he gave away, maybe nobody was extra deserving than a little bit lady who made her strategy to the entrance row on her dad or mum’s shoulders – all whereas Nodal patiently waited to put it on her head himself.
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His Chameleonic Catalog
The most spectacular a part of Nodal’s set is how properly he juxtaposes varied kinds and tempos, leading to one seamless and endlessly participating efficiency – from edgier uptempo cumbia tracks to his extra downtempo ballads (as one fan mentioned of Nodal: “The saddest boy in all of Texas.”) But regardless of the range inside his personal catalog, Nodal additionally made positive to incorporate well-selected covers, from Selena’s “Como La Flor” to Hombres G’s “Devuélveme a mi chica.”
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A Surprise Return
“Soy listo,” says Estevie, who returned to the stage for certainly one of Nodal’s ultimate songs of the night time. The pair duetted on Luis Miguel’s “Sabor a Mí” bringing the night full circle. And judging by the gang’s enthusiastic response, the second proved {that a} recorded collaboration from the 2 can be warmly welcomed — and possibly even impressed, or hinted at, one to return.
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