The first day of the 2025 Corona Capital festival took place on Friday (Nov. 14), marking the grand return of Foo Fighters to Mexico City after a three-year absence. The explosive and unforgettable performance turned into a celebration filled with hits from Dave Grohl’s rock band’s 30-year career.
On day one, the musical feast — which is celebrating its 15th edition — was filled with 1990s nostalgia but also showcased new talents from genres like indie, soul, electro-pop, and folk. It drew over 78,000 attendees (according to promoter Ocesa) who enjoyed performances by Queens of the Stone Age, Franz Ferdinand, Garbage, Kaiser Chiefs, 4 Non Blondes, Jet, Lucy Dacus, Bad Bad Hats, Debby Friday, and other acts. The audience, demanding yet warm, kept the energy and good vibes throughout the day, which stretched into the early hours of Saturday at the Curva 4, the Formula 1 venue in Mexico City.
One of the surprises this year was the performance by veteran band 4 Non Blondes, who won over both old and new fans following the viral trend of the Nicki Minaj mash-up “Beez in the Trap” fused with “What’s Up?” The new song has been used in hundreds of thousands of TikTok videos and brought the ’90s anthem, written by singer-songwriter Linda Perry, back onto the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.
The program continues on Saturday (Nov. 15) with performances by U.S. star Chappell Roan, whose appearance at Corona Capital marks her debut on Mexican stages, as well as shows by Vampire Weekend, Damiano David, Aurora, Mogwai, Alabama Shakes, Jehnny Beth, Haute & Freddy, Half-Alive, and more.
Find out which were our favorite five acts from the first day of the 2025 Corona Capital festival below.
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Foo Fighters, the Best of the Best
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}The American band returned to Mexico City with renewed energy for a historic performance: The first with Ilan Rubin as their new drummer. On the main stage, the explosive 120-minute set was marked by a barrage of classics, including “All My Life,” “The Pretender,” “These Days,” “My Hero,” “Learn to Fly,” and “Everlong,” as well as a cover of Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades” to remind everyone of Grohl’s passion for heavy metal.
“Ten years ago [or] 12 years ago, we came down to play a couple shows here and it was those shows in Mexico City that helped us make our Sonic Highways TV series and record possible,” Grohl told the audience. “So I want you guys to thank yourselves, Mexico City, for helping the Foo Fighters continue making music, continue doing the thing we love to do.”
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Queens of the Stone Age: Pure Rock ‘n’ Roll
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}Queens of the Stone Age’s performance was also one of the most anticipated of the marathon day. With powerful guitar riffs, vocalist Josh Homme and his bandmates had thousands dancing and singing along on a secondary stage, delivering a memorable setlist that included hits like “Little Sister,” “In My Head,” “No One Knows,” “The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret,” “My God is the Sun,” and “Go With the Flow.” An uncompromising rock ‘n’ roll act.
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Garbage’s Powerful Message
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}With their performance at Corona Capital, the band fronted by vocalist Shirley Manson made good on their promise to their Mexican fans after canceling their show at the Hera Festival last year due to health reasons. And the reunion couldn’t have been more emotional, featuring a handful of hits from their discography such as “Vow,” “Stupid Girl,” “I Am Only Happy When It Rains,” and “Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!),” along with messages of female empowerment, a critique to power structures and corruption, and their support for the LGBT community.
“We wrote this next song for our last record — not the most recent, but the one before that. And it is basically a rebuke to all the nonsense that we see unfold in the world right now at the hands of very, very old, very white, and very rich old men,” Manson said before launching into “The Men Who Ruled the World.”
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4 Non Blondes’ Thrilling Moment
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}Linda Perry, who had already performed solo in Mexico in 2024 at the Hera Festival, returned to the capital city with her legendary band 4 Non Blondes to deliver one of the most thrilling moments of day one of Corona Capital. The group drew thousands of new and old fans to one of the secondary stages to perform a nostalgic setlist featuring songs like “Rock and Roll,” “Push and Shove,” and “Train.” But without a doubt, their ’90s anthem “What’s Up?”, popularized on TikTok by Nicki Minaj’s “Beez in the Trap” mash-up, made it a truly memorable performance.
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Franz Ferdinand, an Old Friend Returns
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}While Franz Ferdinand had performed at previous editions of the festival, this time they surprised everyone with their massive turnout around the main stage, where thousands sang and danced to songs like “No You Girls,” “Do You Want To,” “Walk Away,” “Evil Eye,” and “This Fire.” It was an explosive performance that reaffirmed the love and loyalty Mexicans have for the band led by Alex Kapranos.
Their classic “Take Me Out,” the song with which the group opened their set, unleashed euphoria among the attendees, who responded by throwing their cups to the air, creating a shower of beer.
