Rhythm + diversidad at Verano Zol concert
By hola | Published | No Comments
The Verano Zol concert last Sunday in Fort Washington brought together the D.C. Metropolitan area’s Hispanic melting pot.
“De que pais eres? What country are you from?” Joel “DJ Joe” Silva screamed into the crowd. The outdoor event is sponsored each year by El Zol 107.9 radio station where Silva is also known as the comical “Especialista” on Pedro Biaggi’s popular “En La Manana” show.
Decked out in a funky wig the same royal blue color as the flag of his Salvadoran homeland, the DJ sent a jolt of his own national pride through the microphone and into the crowd, which responded with hands and flags flying. The sky was filled with vibrant blues, reds, and whites as concertgoers waved flags in celebration of their own homes away from home.
On stage, the featured artists mirrored the audience’s diversity both in the represented countries and music. There was salsa from Jerry Rivera and La Orquesta Zeniza All Star, Elvis Crespo’s Nuyorican merengue, and reggaeton from Wisin and the duo Alexis y Fido. Other performers included the fusion group Double Shot, the Venezuelan pop team Chino y Nacho, and the Dominican bachata of Andy Andy.
While the June 29 concert was an opportunity to kick back for most, it was just another workday for some. At more than a dozen booths set up at the periphery of the stage, concertgoers could pick up information on topics that ranged from immigration to health care. One booth provided a live feed of the World Cup game between Mexico and Netherlands. Food stalls did a brisk business, as well.
The tangy barbeque and smoky charcoal aromas that hung in the air around Luis Perez’s Rancho Mateo barbeque stand reeled in lots of hungry music fans. Perez booth would have been hard to miss anyway, since he had at least seven steaks spinning all day on a rotisserie taller than the average person. Perez, who drove from his home in Elizabeth, N.J., said he has been grilling Colombian meats since 1979.
“Hago mas o menos six festivales,” (“I work about six festivals a year”) Perez confided, ticking off Boston, Chicago, Miami among the cities where he’s fed crowds at Hispanic festivals and concerts.
Among the most memorable on-stage moments was Elvis Crespo’s spontaneous leap into the audience midway through his performance. The crowd and concert security surged toward Crespo as he sprinted through the throng. Eventually he made it to the back of the concert area. Jumping up on a vacant chair, he sang his famous hit “Suavemente” as the crowd echoed “besame!” choirs. The song, which helped jumpstart Crespo’s merengue career in the ’90’s, prompted shrieks of excitement.
Reggeaton rapper Wisin also left an impression, arriving in a black SUV with tinted windows and a security detail worthy of the Secret Service. They blocked off the entire front and back of the stage. As audience anticipation built, a heart-racing drum segment established the beat, while dancers in black fringed outfits performed in front of a towering screen flashing bright colors and moving graphics. Once Wisin took the stage, the crowd cheered as he belted out his chart-topping song “Adrenalina,” which has become Univision’s official World Cup opener this year.
— Story by Alexia Constanza
— Photos by Alicia Santana
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