Eight years after his last performance at Viña del Mar, Alejandro Sanz has once again won over the “monster” of Quinta Vergara on Sunday night, when he opened the 63rd edition of Viña’s International Song Festival.

The Spanish singer/songwriter delighted the event’s 15,000 attendees by performing live hits including “No Es Lo Mismo,” “Lo Que Fui Es Lo Que Soy” and “Deja Que Te Bese,” to name a few.

The set began with a video of Sanz, on the large screens at the back of the stage, narrating the beginning of his autobiographical song “Bio” before appearing live — dressed in black, with white sneakers and dark glasses — accompanied by a band that included about a dozen musicians among instrumentalists and backup singers. “Viña roars!” he yelled before starting singing.

Sanz later greeted the audience in the Chilean coastal city: “How good to see you!” he said to the “monster,” as the festival’s audience at the Quinta Vergara is known as. “What a joy to return to this stage after a few years. This is a very special night for all of us here; I hope it is for you too. We are going to do absolutely everything to make it so.”

And they did not disappoint. For almost an hour and a half, Sanz and his band delivered hit after hit.

One of the most emotional moments came from “Looking for Paradise,” originally recorded with Alicia Keys, which Sanz performed this time with one of his backup singers. The artist dedicated the uplifting bilingual song to the volunteers working to help the victims of the fires that left 120 people dead and more than 15,000 homes affected earlier this month in Viña del Mar. “I want to dedicate it to them with all the love in the world and thank them. It is from those people that we, as humanity, can really nourish ourselves, because they are people who selflessly give everything,” he said. “So this is for you. ¡Viva Chile!”

Some of the songs that inspired a sing-along among the fans were “La Fuerza del Corazón”, “Cuando Nadie Me Ve,” “Quisiera Ser”, “Mi Soledad y Yo”, “Y, ¿Si Fuera Ella?” and, of course, “Corazón Partío,” which the audience belted with Sanz wholeheartedly. Later, they awarded his art and his solidarity with a Silver and Golden Gaviota Awards, the highest honor awarded to the guest artists, as per the intensity of the audience’s ovation.

But Sanz wasn’t the only international star who performed on the opening night of the event. Colombian singer Manuel Turizo followed him with his Viña debut, performing an eclectic, colorful set that included ballads, urbano and tropical music, with songs from “Desconocidos” and “Déjala Que Vuelva” to “Vagabundo” and his biggest hits, “La Bachata” and “El Merengue,” which undoubtedly lit up the crowd. Turizo also received a strong ovation from the “monster,” and went home with his first Silver Gaviota Award.

The Viña del Mar Festival 2024 takes place all week at the Quinta Vergara Amphitheater and can be seen outside of Chile on the Star+ streaming platform and the festival’s YouTube channel.

The celebration continues Monday (Feb. 26) night with performances by Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo Bocelli, plus Miranda! as the second act. Maná and Men at Work on Feb. 27; Mora and Anitta on Feb. 29; a night devoted to Chilean artists with Los Bunkers and Young Cister on March 1; and for the finale on Feb. 2, Maria Becerra, who took the place of Peso Pluma after the Mexican artist canceled his Latin American tour last week. Trueno will be the second artist of the night.

If you missed Sunday’s performances by Alejandro Sanz and Manuel Turizo, or want to relive them, you can watch them here below: