by John Stapleton
May 6, music superstar Juanes brought his Origen Tour to Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino. Often seen as one of Latin Rock’s top artists in both sales and influence, with 20 Latin Grammy Awards and over 15 Million Albums sold worldwide, Juanes brought an eclectic mix to the performance.
“It was an amazing 2-hour show,” says Lorena Ortega, Maricopa resident. “It was a smaller venue but you really saw his charisma and stage presence. I loved the fact that he paid homage to many of the artists he grew up listening to such as Juan Gabriel, Juan Luis Guerra and he even sang Bob Marley’s iconic song, Could You Be Loved and Metallica’s, Enter Sandman. On another note, it was beautiful to see him connect with his fans by coming out into the audience to perform a couple of songs. It definitely made a lot of the ladies swoon over him. All in all, it was a fun evening. I definitely would see him again.”
“It was my first time seeing Juanes in concert,” says Deidre Carlyle, Carlyle grew up and resides in the Ak-Chin Indian Community. “It was awesome to watch him play on our little reservation. It helps to put our Harrah’s Casino out there and this is the kind of big-name entertainment they could see.”
Carlyle says she also enjoyed Juanes’ engagement with the crowd, to see the “older folks dancing to his music and to see the joy in their faces as if they were young again.”
Photography by Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino
