Carlos Vives brought all his energy and the joyful vallenato to the 2025 Coca-Cola Flow Fest in Mexico City on Saturday (Nov. 22), surprising his fans with a tribute to the legendary ranchera singer-songwriter José Alfredo Jiménez.
“It’s a joy to see you, and I want to tell you something that goes like this,” said the Colombian icon from the Sessions Stage before performing an a cappella version of “Para Morir Iguales” by Jiménez, prompting an ovation at the festival — which on its first day gathered 79,000 people at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, according to figures from promoter Ocesa. (Watch Vives’ a capella performance in a video captured from the show that was shared on X here.)
“Long live José Alfredo Jiménez! Thank you, Mexico!” he added, after making the crowd dance to a handful of songs that included “La Bicicleta,” his 2016 hit with Shakira that topped Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart for six weeks.
The 64-year-old artist had not been included in the festival’s original lineup, but on Thursday (Nov. 20), organizers announced that the alternative Sessions Stage would feature surprise musical acts, including Vives and Colombian band Bacilos.
“This is a cumbia, Mexico. What unites Colombians and Mexicans, what we have in our blood, is a race,” Vives added before performing “Para Robarte Un Beso.”
Later that evening, the Santa Marta native reappeared during Wisin’s set on the main stage to join his voice with the Puerto Rican star’s on “Nota de Amor,” a celebrated fusion of vallenato and reggaeton included on Wisin’s album Los Vaqueros: La Trilogía (2015), which originally also featured Daddy Yankee.
Considered the largest Latin urban music festival, the Coca-Cola Flow Fest brought some of the biggest stars of the genre to its five stages at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on its first day. Don Omar, Myke Towers, Nicky Jam, Álvaro Díaz, Santa Fe Klan, De La Rose, El Alfa and Jowell & Randy were among the acts that shone in a celebration that extended into the wee hours.
The festival continues Sunday with performances by J Balvin, Young Miko, De La Ghetto, Farruko, Bellakath and Mau y Ricky, as well as a special performance by corridos tumbados superstar Natanael Cano, among others.
