Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Wisin performed Friday at the Coca-Cola Music Experience festival in Madrid, running through his best-known hits for an enthusiastic crowd less than 24 hours before the release of his new album, "La Universidad del Perreo."
The festival takes place September 4 and 5 at the Iberdrola Music venue. Wisin, who calls himself the "Profesor Sandunga," appeared on stage amid bursts of flame asking the crowd where the people who had come to hear real reggaeton were.
He said it had been 15 years since he last played Madrid, when he performed there as part of his duo with Yandel.
Two decades of reggaeton hits
Wisin opened the show with "Sexy Movimiento," a song the audience sang along to at full volume. Playing mostly to a young crowd, he moved through more than two decades of hits, including several he recorded with Yandel during their years together as what fans call "El dúo de la historia," one of the most successful duos in reggaeton history.
Wearing his trademark dark sunglasses and a cap reading "It's all about Jesus," he performed "Vacaciones," "Duele el Corazón," "Pam, Pam" and "Ahora Es" before challenging the audience to prove who among them were true fans of the genre.
He asked how many had been fans of "W" for more than 20 years, and after hundreds raised their hands, he sang "Saoco." He used the moment to remember his friend Daddy Yankee, the fellow Puerto Rican reggaeton pioneer with whom he recorded the track in 2004.
A message to the Latino diaspora
The most romantic moment of the night came when Wisin performed "Escápate" a cappella before moving into the full version of the song. Before wrapping up, he addressed the Latino diaspora in the crowd, saying he was proud to be from Puerto Rico and telling them to feel proud to be Latino. He then built to the climax of the set with "Fiel," "Rakata" and "Noche de Entierro."
New album, but no new songs performed
Despite the show coming just a day before his album's release, Wisin did not perform a single track from "La Universidad del Perreo" during the concert. He made clear, however, that enrolling in his so-called university requires first mastering the historical curriculum of old-school reggaeton, and that his goal goes beyond releasing an album: he wants to preserve the pure roots of dembow, the rhythmic foundation of reggaeton, while pushing new generations of artists to keep innovating.
The album contains 12 songs and features collaborations with Jowell y Randy, Ivy Queen, Don Chezina and Franco El Gorilla, among other artists.
Before closing the show for good with "Mayor Que Yo," the logo of his newly launched album was projected onto the screens behind him. Wisin promised to return in 2027, a comment that points to a possible future announcement of a tour in Spain.
Coca-Cola Music Experience lineup
Beyond Wisin, the 16th edition of the Coca-Cola Music Experience festival featured Milo J, Melendi and Lucho RK, among other artists, on Friday. Dimitri Vegas, Dellafuente, Omar Montes and Ruslana are scheduled to perform on Saturday.
