I never expected to attend a concert that transported me back to my childhood while also carrying me to an era that predates me — but Maná’s show at Bridgestone Arena did just that. Performing a wide range of hits dating back to their 1990 album “Falta Amor,” the “Vivir Sin Aire Tour” touches the hearts of many Latin rock fans across generations of Hispanic families.
Formed in the 1970s and later renamed in the 1980s, Maná is a Mexican, Spanish-speaking band whose name comes from its Polynesian translation, mana — meant to represent the powerful, positive spirits of their music. Earlier this year, the group became the first ever Spanish-language band nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, showing that their songs age like fine wine and effortlessly stand the test of time. I, alongside roughly 20,000 others, poured into Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night and eagerly waited for the 12-time combined Grammy and Latin Grammy award-winning group to recreate magic for their 11th tour.
Following the theme of the song and tour, “Vivir Sin Aire,” the initial preshow banner draped across the stage and displayed aquatic imagery, featuring fish, sea turtles and a whale in passing. With the Nashville audience cast as guests in Maná’s personal aquarium, the cloth dropped and revealed all four members in full light: Bassist Juan Calleros, guitarist Sergio Vallín, drummer Alex González and lead vocalist Fher Olvera.
Jumping between hits like “Clavado en Un Bar,” “Eres Mi Religión,” “Mariposa Traicionera,” “Me Vale” and “Labios Compartidos,” Maná reached a new level of connection with their fans throughout the ages. Additionally, Olvera kept the energy up with a high-lumen flashlight whose light pierced throughout the arena, sweeping through each section so he could dance with fans in the crowd. This, paired with Gonzalez’ 10-minute, electrifying drum solo, kept me at the edge of my seat in awe of the sheer talent that persists nearly 40 years later.
The intimate interactions didn’t stop there; decorated by warm lights that surrounded the island’s railing, Maná performed as they sat below a hanging Day of the Dead glowing structure. Band members spoke to the crowd in Spanish on their connection to concertgoers.
“We did this … to feel in the heart of Nashville, to be with you all,” they said.
And indeed, they then selected a fan to sit onstage while they sang the sacred “Bendita Tu Luz” — a song that features another beloved musician in Latin music, Juan Luis Guerra, on their 2006 album “Amar es Combatir.” The group centered this portion of the show in connecting with your loved ones and at one point asked fans to “share this moment with those who are elsewhere, those who love you very much and know that you miss them deeply in your heart.” In unison, Olvera called on his own mother who had passed, asking her to come down to Nashville while he sung “El Reloj Cucú,” a heartful ballad dedicated to her and his upbringing.
Returning to the main stage, a moving wall of rain caught fans’ attention, and the band later initiated the show’s original conclusion: “El Muelle de San Blas” and “Rayando El Sol,” a notably sentimental track that catapulted almost four decades of iconography.
Even so, within this beat of gratitude, Olvera turned his appreciation to a larger community. The band stood firm in its identity as a Latino band in the United States amid the current political unrest threatening the Latino community under the Trump administration — against the backdrop of Latin American and Hispanic Heritage Month.
“We hope all your dreams come true in a country where we aren’t united, as they have been conquering us culturally, specifically through labor, work. With much love, and, thanks to Latinos, this country has become great,” Olvera said. “And you all already know what those bastards say: they are worthless. Thank you to the Latino community for existing.”
After a roaring crowd of support for an encore, the group obliged to deliver the timeless classic that won hearts worldwide, “Oye Mi Amor.”
Even now, I remain dumbfounded by the unforgettable funky bass that rang apace with bluesy guitar solos and congas –– an instrumental mix I never imagined could work together so seamlessly. Seeing Maná live at the “Vivir Sin Aire Tour” was an extraordinary, singular experience that ignited Nashville’s Latino community; It was a reunion with the songs that raised many of us, and a reminder of our shared roots and resilience that continue to fuel us.
