In the early evening of May 16, 1982, thousands of young people descended on the fields of Obras Sanitarias athletic club in Buenos Aires. Despite the steady rain, the rock fans were unwilling to miss El Festival de la Solidaridad Americana. The evening's lineup featured many of the country's best rock musicians, and after years of targeted harassment by Argentina's military junta, fans were thrilled by the chance to gather without fear of repercussions.
It might be easy to take rock en español as a given. Today, many Spanish-speaking households are filled with the sounds of Caifanes, Aterciopelados or Los Prisioneros (y ni hablar de Maná). Just in the past few years, Bad Bunny and Julieta Venegas have collaborated on "Lo Siento BB:/," Andrés Calamaro appeared on C. Tangana's El Madrileño and Fito Páez has released a steady stream of new albums. Rock en español, and Spanish language music at large, are reaching wider audiences than ever before.
