About 40 minutes into Fonseca‘s concert at Summerstage in New York on Wednesday night (July 10), a fan near the stage signaled him wildly, waving his phone enough to catch the Colombian star’s attention. “Colombia scored!” the person shouted.
Fonseca, the consummate professional, didn’t miss a beat of his hit “Envuélveme.” But as soon as there was a break in his vocals, Fonseca tossed his head back and shouted, “Gol, hijueputa! [Goal, son of a b–ch!]
The goal was Colombia’s against Uruguay in the first half of the semi-final of Copa América, the men’s soccer tournament that includes teams from North, South and Central America and the Caribbean.
“This is the first time in my life that I’ve been singing at the same time la selección [my team] is playing,” Fonseca told the crowd when the song was over. “Thanks to my friend who showed me his phone,” he gestured to the crowd. “Apologies for the bad words, but for those of you who aren’t from Colombia, we’re used to celebrating goals together with that word,” he said with a laugh.
The fact that the Colombian national team was playing its most important match of the year so far was no deterrent for the nearly 6,000 fans who showed up for Fonseca’s show, part of the LAMC (Latin Alternative Music Conference) schedule and with Israel Fernández and Bruses serving as opening acts.
Fonseca’s set spanned his career, including his recent “Si Tu Me Quieres” — originally recorded with Juan Luis Guerra — and ending with his now iconic hit, “Te Mando Flores,” which he began a capella –showcasing one of the most beautiful voices in Latin pop — and ended in an impromptu party after the clock ran out on the 1-0 victory.
As for the Colombian team, it was a seminal moment. They won the match, their 28th win in a row. On Sunday (July 14), they’ll play in the final against Argentina.
