“Bueno noche, bueno noche mi gente!”
These were the welcoming words of Colombian superstar J Balvin as he touched down in Melbourne for his Que Bueno Volver a Verte Tour (It’s Good to See You Tour) stop last night. The tour marks J Balvin’s return to Australia following his prime slot at 2023’s Splendour in the Grass music festival.
An industry mainstay for 20 years, J Balvin is one of the most decorated Latin artists of all time, with over 35 million records sold worldwide and a slate of awards and nominations under his belt from Billboard Latin Music Awards, Latin Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards (among others), and a nod from Guinness World Records as a “leader of second-generation reggaeton”. Through collaborations with other Latin industry heavyweights like Nicky Jam, Bad Bunny, and Ozuna, plus mainstream hit-makers Cardi B, Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams and Major Lazer, J Balvin boasts a discography full of certified bangers. His 2017 smash-hit ‘Mi Gente’, a collaboration with French DJ and singer Willy William, was absolutely everywhere upon release and even went 5x Platinum here in Australia.
All this to say: if you thought a Spanish-speaking singer from Colombia wouldn’t be able to pull a crowd for an Australian tour, you’d be sorely wrong.
The stage setup for the Que Bueno Volver a Verte Tour was incredibly simple – a large obelisk stood at centre stage, broken in the middle to create an elevated platform. The exterior of the column was entirely made of screens, projecting an array of distinct visuals in all directions for the whole venue to see. The show opened with a black and white newsreel announcing the arrival of something extra-terrestrial, spliced with what looked like old horror and war films. When the obelisk finally “landed”, J Balvin made his first appearance dressed in a silver leather jacket and spiked sunglasses, accompanied by dancers in futuristic costumes.
J Balvin has always had a flair for drama; the first time I had the pleasure of seeing him perform was at Coachella back in 2019. While I was too far back to see his outfit that time, I distinctly remember the screens on stage being lit up in the brightest colours, with huge bubble text and cartoon-y characters. Evidently, not much has changed in 5 years! While his theming now skews alien, he is still so electric. With an uncanny ability to get everyone in the room on their feet and skills developed over decades of performing, Balvin’s husky vocal colour and innate swagger, the Prince of Reggaeton felt right at home on the Rod Laver Arena stage.
Setting the tone for the show immediately, J Balvin opened with his megahit ‘Mi Gente’. The crowd instantly roared to life, carrying the energy right through to ‘Dientes’ and ‘Reggaeton’. Supported by his DJ and hype man on stage, Balvin rocketed through a slew of hits, each one eliciting screams of excitement from the fans.
J Balvin only took a couple of short breaks to speak directly to the crowd. Speaking solely in Spanish with only a small bit of English sprinkled in, he graciously called out to fans from the Latin American diaspora, with cheers shooting upward for Honduras, Ecuador, and the like, before he gave a final shout-out to the Aussies. As the show went on, the outfits changed (the head-to-toe bejewelled denim was a fantastic look), the vibes carried, and the crowd was completely entranced. Across the floor and seating areas, couples happily swayed to the rhythm of Urbano and Latin beats, and the walls shook with the heavy bass of trap and dancehall.
Far from a one-trick pony, J Balvin showed off his softer side with a solo performance of ‘La Canción’ from his 2019 collaboration album, Oasis. At his request, everyone in the crowd turned to their friends and loved ones, hugged and expressed their love before he dragged out the mellow vibes with ‘Qué Pretendes’ and then brought the energy back up again with ‘Otra Vez’.
As the show wound down and people were eager to continue dancing in their seats, cheers of “Uno mas!” (“One more!”) began to float around the venue. Giant alien hands inflated on stage before J Balvin and his dancers made their return, performing ‘Ritmo’, ‘Qué Calor’, and ‘In Da Getto’ to close out.
Despite the language barrier and lack of an on-site translator, the Que Bueno Volver a Verte Tour was truly one of the most vibrant, vivacious, and fun shows I have seen this year. From start to finish, J Balvin made the show feel like one big house party; with neon mood lighting, deep thumping bass, and endless joy emanating from everyone in the room.
¡Muchas gracias J Balvin y hasta la próxima!
J Balvin’s Que Bueno Volver a Verte Tour, proudly presented by MG Live and Frontier Touring, had its Melbourne stop at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday the 4th of September, with its Sydney stop at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday September 6, concluding the Australian shows in Brisbane at Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Saturday September 7, before heading over to New Zealand for a show in Auckland on Sunday the 8th of September at Spark Arena.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.frontiertouring.com/jbalvin
https://jbalvin.com
https://www.instagram.com/jbalvin
Photography by Rena Tan.
