Christian Nodal’s Billboard SXSW Headlining Set: 5 Best Moments

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.

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.

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.

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.”

“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.