If you haven't yet visited Northern Mexico, there's no better excuse than attending Tecate Pa'l Norte. The annual music festival is one of the biggest in the country, boasting over 100,000 fans all sharing one goal: see as much incredible live music as possible in a 48-hour period. Featuring the best of Mexican, Latin American, and international music, the two-day spectacle came to life in Monterrey, Nuevo León for its 2017 festivities.
Friday, March 31 was absolute insanity. Swarms of people could be seen frolicking about the festival grounds as soon as the gates opened, which is always a solid indicator that a good time is just around the corner. Though the performances kicked off later in the day (the first band went on at 4:00 p.m.), the organizers managed to squeeze in a full day's worth of acts ranging from EDM to pop to reggae.
The loudest-band-of-the-weekend-award by far went to The Offspring, who hit the Tecate Light stage where they gave us life with songs like "Why Don't You Get a Job?" and "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)". Monterrey's own El Gran Silencio got the biggest mosh pit going, while Jarabe de Palo’s front man, Pau Dones, dazzled on the main stage. The night's headliners, The Killers, drew a huge crowd, who were amped to be singing all the words right back at the Las Vegas band. The high point? When they performed new track, "Peace of Mind" for the eager audience.
Saturday's lineup was also drool-worthy, featuring sets from Mike Posner, Reyno, Javiera Mena, and Draco Rosa. Chilean singer-songwriter Mon Laferte took to the main stage for her retro set—transporting us back to an era when black-and-white movies reigned supreme. Pastilla, a Mexican emo band, played a amazing show, despite wearing all black during a hot 2 p.m. set. The Headliners, Kaskade and Maná, used fireworks to their advantage, blasting them off during and at the end of their performances.
This magical weekend was made that much more memorable due to the Monterrey backdrop. Check out our photos of everyone from Motel to MXPX below, and make sure to Track the entire lineup to see when they'll be heading to your city!
Festival notes by Ismael Quintanilla