Christian Nodal defends the palenques as the most authentic concert format of his career and questions the practice of declaring sold out when the functions are not completely sold, in an interview he offered to the YouTube channel of Javier Paniagua On the occasion of the release of his new album, White Flagon May 21.
The Sonoran singer, with almost 10 years of experience, described the palenques as spaces where communication with the public is direct and unrepeatable. “The palenque is race, it is people, it is being surrounded by your people”said. In those types of settings, he said, he can see the faces of everyone in attendance, hug the audience, climb the bars and modify the setlist on the fly. “I make a mess there”he admitted with a laugh.
In contrast, the venues or arenas imply following protocols, respecting a maximum time of two and a half hours and maintaining the order of the repertoire. “It also fascinates me, I love it,” he acknowledged about large venues, although he made it clear that what moves him most is “the most organic.”
It was in that context where the interpreter of “Goodbye love” launched a direct criticism of a widespread practice in the industry. He recalled that in his early years, with songs played on the radio and awards won, he filled venues of three thousand people with barely eight or twelve hundred. “That is a reality,” he said.
From that experience, he questioned the current trend of announcing shows as sold out even when they are not. “Now all the artists have to, even if the show is not 100% sold, it’s: ‘Sold out, it’s sold out’. That’s a lie. I mean, at the end of the day it’s a vile lie and I don’t understand why the business is doing it out there”he stated.
Nodal maintained that the prestige of an artist does not depend on the capacity sold. “Whether you’re full or not, if you have good music, it’s good music at the end of the day.”he pointed out.
“My balance is making music that I love. Keeping doing shows, at the end of the day they can talk and say whatever, but as long as I’m on stage I’m going to be happy. And full or empty, whatever. I didn’t start here for fame.”
“Bandera Blanca”, a return to the essence of the mariachi
The album, recorded in Miraval Studio from France—owned by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie—represents for Nodal a return to his musical roots. “It’s like a return to the main essence of the first years in which I released music”he explained. Sony Music gave him complete freedom for the project, including the trip to Europe.
In the production process, the singer used artificial intelligence to generate demos and test arrangements before recording them with his musicians. “It wasn’t that they generated something for me and that’s it. It was searching, searching”he clarified. His team includes arranger Marito, mixer Giovanni, producer Luka Loco and Alex Ramírez, whom he described as a work family.
The first show of the Bandera Blanca tour is scheduled for May 29 in Mexico City, in a format that the artist himself described as a giant palenque. Plan to document the event. “Bandera Blanca goes further,” he said. “Love and peace, brother.”
It should be noted that although Nodal continues to be one of the most popular names in regional Mexican music, his ability to fill venues is no longer the same in all places. While in popular fairs, such as the National Fair of San Marcos in Aguascalientes, it continues to sell out, in other markets it has faced performances with empty seats and even cancellations, a reality that he himself recognized in an interview when remembering his beginning years. In addition to the controversy of one of his most recent shows in Chile.
What has changed, according to Internet users and followers on social networks, is not just the music. Nodal’s marriage to Angela Aguilar in 2024, weeks after his separation from cazzugenerated a wave of criticism that divided his fan base. Since then, the comparison between the Nodal that filled arenas and stadiums before that controversy and the one that today defends palenques as its favorite format has become recurrent in the digital debate.
