¡Arriba México, cabrónes!
Greeted by thousands of fans, many waving Mexican flags, singer-rapper Peso Pluma took the main stage shortly past 9 p.m. on Friday for a standout, corrido-fueled Coachella set that featured surprise appearances from Becky G, Santa Fe Klan, Junior H and Arcángel. Peso, dressed in white, opened his set with the song “Rubicon,” off his Grammy-winning 2023 album, Génesis.
Chicana pop star Becky G took the stage early in the set to join him in performing their 2023 ballad, “Chanel.” The duet served as a full-circle moment for Peso; Becky welcomed him to that same stage in 2023, just as he was getting buzz for his song with Natanael Cano, “PRC.”
“She was the first woman who helped me in this industry,” said Peso of Becky onstage. (“Peso, he’s so sweet, so dope, so hardworking and so deserving of an opportunity like this,” Becky told Rolling Stone last year.) Custodial workers for the festival were stopped in their tracks, keenly watching the performance from the sidelines.
What followed “Chanel” was a spoken-word interlude that addressed the censorship of narcocorridos, or songs which detail the complicated lives of those working in the drug trades in Mexico. (For context, the city council of Tijuana banned performances of the songs in 2023.) “The vicious cycle they were born into serves as their protection and their punishment,” said a male speaker in English, as newspaper headlines concerning the songs flashed on the big screen. “For that, they will always be on trial.”
La Doble P then performed his songs “El Gavilán” and “Gavilán II,” which reference Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the famed former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. Afterwards, the 24-year-old invited Mexican singer-songwriter Junior H onstage to perform their joint single, a corrido tumbado titled “El Azul.” He later paid homage to corrido singers past, including Chalino Sánchez and Ariel Camacho.
He also welcomed Mexican rap star Santa Fe Klan, to perform their recent rap collaboration with Duki, “No Son Klle,” showcasing Peso’s versatility with its fiery verse and chorus.
He transitioned into a sensual reggaetón break with the song “Quema,” which he recorded with Ryan Castro and SOG, followed by his remix of Yng Lvcas’s smash hit, “La Bebé.” The Puerto Rican reggaetón and trap star Arcángel joined Peso onstage to perform the self-referential single, titled “Peso Completo,” or “Heavyweight,” from his upcoming album, Éxodo.
Peso continues what has now become a tradition of celebrating Mexican music on Coachella’s main stage. Becky G did so in 2023, as did Grupo Firme and Banda MS in 2022, and Los Tucanes de Tijuana in 2019. Natanael Cano, whom Peso has described as the “king of corridos tumbados,” performed at the festival in 2022 as well.
Peso’s set comes just about a month after he announced his album Éxodo via a Rolling Stone cover story celebrating the Future of Music. “I’m focusing on fine-tuning all the details, but there’s going to be a lot of flavors, not only of regional Mexican music,” he said at the time. “From the beginning, I’ve liked doing things to get out of my comfort zone. I know everything goes great with corridos, but I also don’t pass up opportunities to do other stuff I like.”
Peso is scheduled to hit the road later this year with his “Exodo” tour stopping at arenas across the United States and at the Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City.