The Pa’l Norte Music Festival is an annual event held in one of Mexico’s major cities, Monterrey. With an eclectic mix of both international and national music genres, Pa’l Norte is a unique experience that attracts music lovers from Mexico and beyond. Located in the northeastern part of the country, Monterrey is an important economic, industrial, and cultural hub. Surrounded by striking mountains, it is the perfect setting for this massive three-day event, which draws over 60,000 travellers from out of state, along with more than 40,000 local attendees.
After almost ten years of living in Montreal, returning to my hometown for the Pa’l Norte Festival felt like a journey back to the musical roots that shaped me. But I quickly realized that my return wasn’t just about music; it was about reconnecting with home and finally allowing myself to treasure the wide range of sounds I had once turned my back on. And so, as I walked into the grounds of Parque Fundidora, I kicked off a weekend of jumping, singing, and dancing, one that far exceeded my expectations and set new standards I doubt any other festival will match.
Day One
To avoid the scorching heat, I started my day a bit late and I approached the Tecate Light main stage at 18:30 to find a good spot from where I could watch the acts I had on my checklist. Juanes wasn’t on my list, but as he took the stage at 18:35 I prepared myself to give it a chance and try to enjoy my first act of the night. Juanes is a Colombian singer-songwriter who rose to fame with songs like “La Camisa Negra,” and “A Dios Le Pido;” the only two songs I could have named from memory if you had asked me before his set. He has won 4 Grammys and 27 Latin Grammys, and has sold over 15 million albums worldwide.
Juanes’ set was my first revelation of the weekend. The huge crowd was made up of both fans of the singer and people there to wait for the acts that followed him. But Latin music brings people together in a way I hadn’t really realized before. Everywhere I looked, I saw K-pop, pop, and punk fans singing along to songs that, like me, they had no idea were stored in their brains. Song after song, Juanes united the Mexican crowd regardless of the genre they were there for. In the crowd, I stood next to a devoted Juanes fan who motivated me to jump and dance along, and quickly turned this set into one of my favourites of the weekend. Additionally, he played several cover songs: “Querida,” by Juan Gabriel, “Twist and Shout,” “La Bamba,” and “Besame Mucho,” which added another level of excitement to the crowd.
This set also gave me my first glimpse of the massive Tecate Light main stage. With more than 2,020 metres of screen, it is said to have broken the world record for the largest screen at a music festival. The concept sounded majestic, but as I stood there, staring at the colossal stage, I almost found it hard to comprehend; it was as if my brain couldn’t process the scale of the screens, they felt surreal. I gazed up, experiencing a moment rare for a 5’1″ woman used to seeing nothing but the shoulders of the crowd in front of her, hopeful that this sets a new standard in festivals all around the world.
The next band to take the Tecate Light main stage was the iconic boy band Seventeen, the first K-pop group ever invited to the Pa’l Norte Festival. Composed of 11 members and accompanied by a team of back-up dancers, their performance was so impressive that they made the immense stage feel small. The crowd was packed with members of their fandom, known as CARATs, who did not shy away from screaming every lyric at the top of their lungs. Their songs “HOT,” and “VERY NICE,” raised the crowd’s volume to a deafening level.
I made my way to the Tecate Original side stage to catch the last few songs of Mon Laferte’s set. By the time I arrived, the Chilean-Mexican bolero-folk singer had already hypnotized her massive crowd in a sensual trance. But she surpassed all expectations when Juanes joined her on stage to perform their major hit “Amárrame.” Finally, she closed her set with her 2015 hit “Tu Falta De Querer;” a ballad so enchanting that it was impossible not to fall in love with her right on the spot.
Back on the Tecate Light main stage, The Chainsmokers brought their electronic music to the stage. The duo played fan favourites like “Paris,” “Closer,” “Something Just Like This,” along with 11 other songs that kept the crowd dancing through their hour-long set. As they stepped off the stage, the crowd was left hyped up and ready for the final act of the night.
At 22:25, the moment had arrived. The lights lit up on the Tecate Light main stage, and the iconic intro songs to Green Day’s set echoed through the speakers: Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and The Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop.” Singing along to these two anthems with tens of thousands of people was an unforgettable experience, a ritual the band has upheld since 2017 and 2004, respectively. Then, the lights went out, and Green Day took the stage to a roaring crowd, perfectly warmed up and ready to rock out for the last two hours of the evening. The opening of their set was filled with their major hits: “Welcome To Paradise,” “Basket Case,” “When I Come Around,” “Minority,” among many others. For their song “Know Your Enemy,” they kept their well-known tradition of inviting a fan on stage; this time Giselle from the front row was the lucky chosen one, and did a stellar job at singing in front of the biggest crowd she could ever have imagined.
But what every Green Day fan was waiting for came toward the latter part of the setlist; in celebration of American Idiot’s 20th anniversary, the band played a total of eight songs from the legendary album. As they played “American Idiot,” “Holiday,” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” the crowd quickly realized just how special this moment in time was; whether they were seeing Green Day for the very first time or not, they were witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime setlist.
During the song “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” the audience lit up lighters and cell phone lights, creating a sea of stars, a tide of hopeful voices singing along to a hymn of loss and healing. Then came my personal highlight of the evening, Green Day gave us the full nine minutes of “Jesus of Suburbia.” This was the moment I had been waiting for, the moment every person in that crowd will speak of when they remember this night. And as the band bid farewell with an acoustic version of “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” I felt happiness coursing through my veins, knowing I had just created a core memory with my best friends.
Day Two
I began the second day of the festival at the Acoustic Stage with Caloncho, a Mexican indie-folk singer-songwriter. Also scheduled for a full set on Sunday’s lineup, Caloncho delivered a laid-back, stripped-down performance on a smaller stage, warming up the crowd for what he had in store the following day. The Acoustic Stage was no obstacle for him in drawing a large audience; it was a refreshing break at the start of what promised to be a hectic day.
As the weather cooled down, people gathered at the Tecate Original side stage to dance with Foster The People. With an eleven-song setlist, the band played fan favourites like “Helena Beat,” “Houdini,” and “Call It What You Want,” to an overjoyed crowd. Closing out their set with “Pumped Up Kicks,” lead vocalist Mark Foster admitted he had blown out his voice, but the crowd did not mind; they were happy to sing in his place as long as the music kept going.
I made my way to the Fusion Telcel stage, located on the farthest side of Parque Fundidora, to see The Driver Era. The brothers brought their alt-pop-rock sound to Monterrey, performing songs like “Touch,” “Afterglow,” “Malibu,” and “Don’t Take The Night,” in front of an intrigued crowd. They’re a band I couldn’t believe weren’t programmed for one of the main stages; everyone in that crowd was incredibly lucky to see them in such a setting. Closing out their set with “A Kiss,” The Driver Era didn’t say goodbye, but rather ‘see you again soon.’
As evening fell, I headed back to the main stage to find a good spot for the first headliner of the night, Fall Out Boy. Performing what felt like their own version of The Eras Tour, the crowd was in for a treat. At 21:55, the band came on stage but were briefly held by technical issues, forcing them to restart the set a few minutes in. But the Mexican crowd was forgiving and understanding, cheering even louder as Patrick Stump kicked off the first two songs of the evening: “Chicago Is So Two Years Ago,” and “Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy.”
The band played around two songs from each of their albums, taking us on a journey through a discography that defined a generation of pop-punk. While the music was excellent, the production they brought to the city was even more impressive; featuring fireworks, a winged flying sheep, flame-throwing guitars, and a team of back-up dancers. As the kids say, they left no crumbs. Finally, they closed their set with their 2003 hit “Saturday,” and Pete Wentz’s signature screamed vocals.
At midnight, Justin Timberlake and his band, The Tennessee Kids, took over the stage and kicked off the set with his classic hits “Mirrors,” and “Cry Me A River.” Sporting a Mexican flag tied to his belt, Justin delivered a 22-song setlist spanning over 20 years of his solo career, including chart-toppers like “My Love,” “Señorita,” “Suit & Tie,” and “Rock Your Body.” I expected the audience to be exhausted by this point, but halfway through the set, knowing this was his first time performing in Monterrey, I realized this was going to be a long night in the best possible way. After playing “CAN’T STOP THE FEELING!,” “What Goes Around… Comes Around,” and “SexyBack,” Justin and his band stepped away shortly, only to return for one final encore. With “Until the End of Time,” Justin Timberlake closed the night and bid adieu to a crowd that could have stayed awake until the sun came out.
Day Three
I kicked off the third day of the Pa’l Norte Festival by heading to the Tecate Light main stage to watch the Australian band Parcels perform. With minimal production, just the band and their instruments, it was the perfect way to ease into the final stretch of the weekend. I was exhausted, but Parcels’ music healed me, setting the tone for the day ahead. Their short but almost perfect 11-song setlist included tracks like “Overnight,” “Tieduprightnow,” “Gamesofluck,” and “Somethinggreater.” Parcels won over the crowd with their music, but they truly charmed them by complimenting the beautiful mountains in the horizon. Closing out their set with “Bemyself,” the band stepped off the stage and left an energized crowd ready to take on the rest of the day.
I ran over to the Tecate Original side stage to watch Garbage’s return to the city. This performance marked their seventh visit to Monterrey, a city that always welcomes the band with open arms. However, for a large part of the crowd, this was their first time experiencing Shirley Manson’s powerful vocals; many of the people present were holding their spot, waiting for the act that followed Garbage: Charli xcx. But what a wonderful opportunity it was to be introduced to a powerhouse, a legend, one of the most iconic female-fronted bands.
They took the stage and won over the crowd in record time. With a 12-song setlist packed with fan-favourites like “Fix Me Now,” “The Men Who Rule the World,” and “I Think I’m Paranoid,” Garbage proved that after more than 30 years, they’re still at the top of their game. Before launching into my personal favourite “Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!),” Shirley made a strong statement in support of the LGBTQ+ community, declaring to the crowd “Fuck people telling other people how to love.” And after the song “Only Happy When It Rains,” I walked away in awe of such a legendary band, hopeful to see them live again someday.
I hurried over to the Tecate Light main stage to secure a good spot for the evening’s headliner and managed to catch the last few songs of Kings Of Leon’s set. The band closed out with their smashing hits “Closer,” and “Use Somebody,” echoed by a roaring crowd that nearly drowned out the speakers. And as Kings Of Leon stepped off the stage, their fans dispersed, but the crowd remained tightly packed, ready to welcome the new princess of rock.
At 22:30 on the final day of the Pa’l Norte Festival, the long wait was over. Olivia Rodrigo was about to take the stage with her Guts World Tour: Spilled, marking the final stop of the tour’s Latin-American leg. With a scaled-down production and an updated setlist, the latest version of her tour had raised worries among fans, who expected to get the concert production they had seen on Netflix. But the moment Olivia stepped onto the stage, the fans’ worries vanished, drowned out by the cathartic screaming and emotional singing. Even with a stripped-down production, Olivia Rodrigo’s stage presence was captivating, holding our attention effortlessly. And the crowd was so special; I saw dads lifting their kids onto their shoulders for a better view, teenagers experiencing their first concert with friends, and people like me, in their late 30s, wondering if they’re still young enough to identify with songs about teenage heartbreak.
With just two albums under her studded belt, Olivia crafted a 20-song setlist that includes nearly her whole discography. Fan favourites like “vampire,” “drivers license,” and “bad idea right?,” carried us through the first half of an almost-perfect set. Following a string of ballads, we jumped right back into energizing songs like “so american,” “deja vu,” “all-american bitch,” and “good 4 u,” fueling a crowd that couldn’t get enough.
As Olivia asked “Are you still with me, Monterrey?”, we launched into the final song of the evening, “get him back!” Mid-performance, the singer raised a banner that said “¿Cómo están mis regios?”, a colloquialism referring to the locals of Monterrey; Olivia did her research and the crowd loved it. The night, and the festival, closed with a rain of paper stars; the perfect ending to an unforgettable weekend. And as I finally crawled into my bed after what felt like the longest weekend of my life, I was sure of one thing: if given the chance, I’d relive it all over again.
Review – Ilse Martinez
Photos – Andres Amaya
Aerial photos provided by the event organizers.
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