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    Encore tonight at Toyota Center

    Lots of Drama and Light as Maná rekindles love affair with Houston audience

    Phuong-Thi Huynh
    Jul 3, 2011 | 12:15 pm
    Maná

    Lights. Drama. Maná.

    White clouds billowed against a gauzy silk screen as Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony signaled the dramatic production that was about to unfold before the sold-out Saturday night crowd.

    Seconds later, behind a see-through veil, lights illuminated the lion mane of Maná’s frontman Fher Olvera. Screams pierced through the darkness before silence engulfed the Toyota Center. On cue, the best-selling Latin rock band of all time launched into a series of songs that left the multigenerational, mostly Spanish-speaking audience panting.

    Nearby a four-year-old girl jumped up and down as tears welled in her grandmother’s eyes. Like a grand novella, full of climaxes, the two-hour, pitch-perfect performance by Maná mirrored their widely successful eighth studio album, Drama y Luz.

    “Look at him! Look at him,” cried longtime fan Yolanda Delalosa about Maná's frontman Fher Olvera. “He’s 50-something and he is still looking bad ass. His voice is still powerful.”

    Drama and Light placed the band on top of Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart for nine weeks and counting. Lights and drama — literally — framed the evening’s performance, starting with an on-screen light display that accompanied “Lluvia al Corazon,” Maná’s current hit mixing emotive lyrics with glorious riffs by guitarist Sergio Vallin.

    Olvera’s presence commanded the stage with his raspy vocal chords reminiscent of Sting but with a welcome serrated edge. “Look at him! Look at him,” cried longtime fan Yolanda Delalosa. “He’s 50-something and he is still looking bad ass. His voice is still powerful.”

    Delalosa has seen Maná in concert four times. The last being nearly five years ago in Houston. Maná returns as popular as ever, with a second show on Sunday that was added after the Saturday evening concert sold out. The group kicked off the 2011 tour June 16 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, followed by four sold-out performances in Los Angeles.

    With 25 million records sold worldwide, Maná has the ability to evolve while remaining faithful to its grass-root Spanish rock sound, not an easy task with followers fanned across 40 countries and the pressure to Americanize its Latin sounds. But rather than following in the footsteps of Shakira, Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias, Maná has yet to record an English album. So while still relatively unknown in most U.S. markets, the black-clad foursome continues their two-decade hold as Titans in Spanish rock history.

    “In the Latin world, no one comes even close to them right now,” says fan Juan Cruz. “They are Maná. There’s nothing left to say.”

    Perhaps, not. Maná is a Polynesian word for supernatural power, and through their music, the band conveys important socio-political messages. This was apparent in their visually powerfully rendition of “LatinoAmerica,” a rallying chant for unity among Latinos.

    Throughout the arena, fans showed their pride by waving Mexican flags. At times, Olvera rested his voice by letting the audience finish the chorus. Few lyrics went unsung by the energetic crowd — from the classic “Oye Mi Amor” to the newest ballad, “Vuela Libre Paloma,” a poignant homage from Olvera, who recently lost his mother to cancer.

    Consummate performers, Maná satisfied their fan base by playing a montage of hits. But the spotlight shined on muscular half-Cuban, half-Colombian, U.S. born Alex Gonzales whose pounding drum beats rolled across the audience as a podium lifted him high above the audience for a 10-minute solo, filled with gleeful playfulness and drama.

    The highlight came when balladeer Olvera ushered a female fan on stage and serenaded her with the 1994 ballad hit, “Vivir Sin Aire.” But most telling as to why Maná remains entrenched in the hearts of fans was when a male devotee ran on stage, past security.

    As burly guards scrambled to grab the man, Olvera waved them off and placed his right arm protectively around the interloper. The crowds cheered and clapped. And Maná continued the love affair with fans.

    unspecified
    news/entertainment

    Concert News

    Palestinian rapper Saint Levant brings Beirut style on tour to Houston

    Brianna Caleri
    Jul 17, 2026 | 10:30 am
    Saint Levant
    Saint Levant/Facebook
    Saint Levant is playing three Texas shows in October.

    Palestinian singer-songwriter and rapper Saint Levant is representing his namesake region on tour in North America, Europe, and the Middle East this fall, including at the Bayou Music Center in Houston on Thursday, October 8.

    The Afandi World Tour will begin September 12 in Boston, Massachusetts, and end December 12 in Muscat, Oman. In addition to Houston, the tour will stop in Dallas on October 6 and Austin on October 7.

    Marwan Abdelhamid, a.k.a. Saint Levant, is known for a smooth musical style that combines lyrics in Arabic, English, and French, plus several genres and world music influences. His breakout started in 2022 with the single "Very Few Friends," and he is now based in Los Angeles. Abdelhamid is also known for frequent collaborations with top fashion houses, including the Lebanese brand Elie Saab.

    Layali Al Afandi joins the tour with a production inspired by '90s Levantine cabarets, a press release says. The performance has a narrative arc with music, storytelling, and stage design, all of which draw from Beirut nightlife, fashion, and other artistic elements of Arab cultural identities.

    Tickets presales begin Wednesday, July 15, at 10 am. The general on-sale follows on Friday, July 17, at 10 AM via LiveNation.com or SaintLevant.com. VIP tickets are also available for early floor access, a meet-and-greet with Saint Levant, a gift item, and more.

    Afandi World Tour Dates:

    Sat, Sep 12 – Boston, MA – Citizens House of Blues
    Sun, Sep 13 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount
    Mon, Sep 14 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount
    Wed, Sep 16 – Toronto, ON – HISTORY
    Thu, Sep 17 – Toronto, ON – HISTORY
    Sun, Sep 20 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore
    Tue, Sep 22 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore
    Thu, Sep 24 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
    Fri, Sep 25 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
    Sun, Sep 27 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
    Wed, Sep 30 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
    Thu, Oct 1 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground
    Sat, Oct 3 – Miami Beach, FL – The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theatre
    Tue, Oct 6 – Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom
    Wed, Oct 7 – Austin, TX – Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater
    Thu, Oct 8 – Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center
    Sun, Oct 11 – Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall
    Tue, Oct 13 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
    Wed, Oct 14 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
    Thu, Oct 15 – San Diego, CA – SOMA
    Sat, Oct 17 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
    Sun, Oct 18 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic
    Tue, Oct 20 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
    Thu, Oct 29 – Dublin, Ireland – National Stadium
    Mon, Nov 2 – Paris, France – Zenith
    Thu, Nov 5 – Antwerp, Belgium – De Roma
    Mon, Nov 9 – Cologne, Germany – Carlswerk Victoria
    Wed, Nov 11 – Luxembourg City, Luxembourg – Rockhal
    Fri, Nov 13 – Utrecht, Netherlands – TivoliVredenburg
    Sat, Nov 14 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Melkweg
    Mon, Nov 16 – Berlin, Germany – Columbiahalle
    Wed, Nov 18 – Copenhagen, Denmark – VEGA
    Thu, Nov 19 – Oslo, Norway – Rockefeller Music Hall
    Sat, Nov 21 – Stockholm, Sweden – Fållan
    Tue, Nov 24 – Zurich, Switzerland – Komplex 457
    Thu, Nov 26 – Milan, Italy – Alcatraz
    Sat, Nov 28 – Barcelona, Spain – Razzmatazz
    Mon, Nov 30 – Madrid, Spain – La Riviera
    Tue, Dec 1 – Lisbon, Portugal – LAV
    Tue, Dec 8 – Athens, Greece – Floyd
    Thu, Dec 10 – Istanbul, Turkey – VW Arena
    Sat, Dec 12 – Muscat, Oman – Muscat Eat 9

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