The Soy Rebelde Tour (English: I'm Rebellious Tour) was the fifth and final planned concert tour by Mexican pop group RBD.[1][2] The tour had stops in North and South America, beginning on August 25, 2023, at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas, concluding on December 21, 2023, at Estadio Azteca, Mexico City.[3][4]
Following their successful virtual quarantine concert in 2020, rumors about a reunion began.[7] On December 19, 2022, RBD's official social media outlets uploaded a video captioned "Soy Rebelde!!!".[8] The members, minus Alfonso Herrera, changed their profile pictures to a black background with the band's logo in white.[9] Along with the video post, a website was created that showcased a countdown and a sign-up form, along with the phrase “Prepara tu corbata, Enero 19 2023” (“prepare your tie, January 19, 2023”).[10][11]
On January 19, 2023, a 3-minute video confirming a reunion tour was displayed in public spaces across such cities as Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, São Paulo, Río de Janeiro and Mexico City where fans gathered to witness the announcement.[12][13] Titled Soy Rebelde Tour, it initially comprised 26 dates and was scheduled to begin on August 25, 2023, from El Paso and continue throughout the U.S., Brazil and Mexico, ending on December 2, 2023, in Mexico City.[14]
Due to a massive demand for concert dates in more Latin American countries,[15] the group surprised fans in Colombia with an announcement on February 13, 2023.[16] On the scheduled day, a concert date in Medellín was finally announced, with fans reuniting at the Provenza sector to watch the announcement via video broadcast.[17]
Commercial performance
The announcement of the tour led to a commercial success.[18] On January 20, a second date was added in Los Angeles,[19] while additional dates in New York City, Chicago, Glendale, Miami, Edinburg and San Diego were added five days later.[20][21] The group scheduled a total of four concerts at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.[22] A new date in Monterrey was announced on January 27, and consequently, another one in Guadalajara on January 31.[23][24] On March 23, a third date was revealed for Monterrey.[25] It also broke records for the most shows on a single tour at the Foro Sol, with six overall, and revenue sales in Mexico City, previously held by Bad Bunny with The World's Hottest Tour and Daddy Yankee with La Última Vuelta World Tour.[26]
During the presale in Brazil, all tickets available were sold under six minutes.[27] The general sale in São Paulo was met with "overwhelming" demand, with approximately 600,000 people trying to get tickets, prompting the addition of a second and third dates.[28] On March 27, a second date for Rio de Janeiro was announced along with three brand new dates in São Paulo, with a fourth one at the Allianz Parque and two additional at the Estádio do Morumbi in order to fulfill the demand.[29] The CEO of CTS Eventim in Brazil, responsible for selling tickets, has said this was the biggest challenge the company has faced in the country.[30]
For the initial concert in Medellín, a presale was scheduled to happen on February 15, with the general sale to ocurre two days later.[31] However, during the presale 225,000 people attempted to purchase tickets, causing the website of eTicket Colombia to crash.[32] On February 16 and 20, a second and third date were added, respectively.[33][34] The first two dates were sold out within hours of tickets being released, with the third date being sold out in 50 minutes.[35] On February 25, a fourth and final date in Medellín was announced.[36][37] Furthermore, flights and hotel room prices soared for the concert dates.[38]
Venue records
List of venue-based achievements for 2023, showing dates, venue and description
On January 23, 2023, Billboard dedicated a list of potential songs they would like to hear, in which the 2005 hit single "Sálvame" was placed at the top spot.[50] Publications such as Forbes' The Happening, The Guardian's La Lista and Terra also elaborated their dream setlist.[51][52][53]
One month later, the band released the single "S.H.E.A", an acronym for "Siempre He Estado Aquí" (“I’ve always been here”), which was originally released and performed during their 2020 livestream event, but updated to feature the added vocals of Dulce María (who was absent during the reunion).[54]
During the show in El Paso, the group performed "Cerquita de Ti", "Para Olvidarte de Mí" and "Adiós" for the first time ever.
The band's performance contains elements from "Era La Música", "Wanna Play" and "Cariño Mío", and precedes either Maite's solo "Empezar Desde Cero" or Christian's solo ("Quisiera Ser/I Wanna Be The Rain" or "Tu Amor").
The song "Tu Amor" (in the company of mariachis) replaced "Quisiera Ser/I Wanna Be the Rain" at shows in New York (September 1), Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami (September 22), Arlington, San Francisco, Los Angeles (October 18, 19 and 22), Medellín (November 4 and 5), Rio de Janeiro (November 10), São Paulo (November 13, 17 and 18), Monterrey (November 24 and December 12) and Mexico City (November 30, December 1, 2, 3, 16, 17 and 21).
The Medley Ballads segment was performed in El Paso, Houston, New York, Fairfax, Greensboro, Atlanta, Edinburg, and after the shows beginning in Medellín.[65][66]
During the show on November 10 in Rio de Janeiro, Anahí sang the chorus of "Hasta Que Llegués Tu" from her album Mi Delirio in acapella, after "Sálvame".
During the shows on November 16 and 17 in São Paulo, "Sálvame" preceded the song "Otro Día Que Va".
During the show on November 17, Anahí was not present during the Ballads Medley and the songs "Solo Quédate en Silencio", "Nuestro Amor" and "Rebelde" due to an infection in her kidneys, and had to leave before the show's end.[67]
Anahí was not present during the show on November 18, due to being hospitalized for the aforementioned kidney infection, and "Sálvame" and "Enséñame" were not performed. Christian performed her verses on "Otro Día Que Va" and her solo song "Así Soy Yo" during the Medley Chicas, while the fans sang her verses on the rest of the songs.[68][69]
Tour dates
List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, opening acts, attendance (tickets sold / total available), and gross revenue
[70][71][72][73]