While Latin pop has conquered the world in the last couple of decades, it’s not the only Latin American musical genre that has achieved global success. Before Spanish-language songs were topping the pop charts, the rock en español movement of the 1980s brought Latin music into the international mainstream, and bands like Caifanes, Maná and Fobia are still going strong decades later, carrying the torch for rock music throughout Latin America. Mexican band Fobia formed in 1987 and signed its first record deal later that year, after a demo session produced by Saul Hernandez of fellow Mexican rockers Caifanes.
Following extensive touring throughout the ’90s, thanks to hits like “La Iguana,” “Camilla,” “Los Cibernoides” and a cover of Queen’s “Under Pressure,” Fobia broke up in 1997. But the band continued to influence a new generation of Latin artists, and in 2004 they reunited, reaching a fan base that had only grown in their absence. Since then, Fobia has released two more albums of original material, alongside live recordings and hits compilations, and the band’s latest release, Pastel, is a double live album documenting its 2018 30th-anniversary concert in Mexico City. It’s a celebration of a career spent both setting and transcending musical trends.
House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, 8 p.m. Nov. 5, $27.50 plus tax and fee, 18+. 702.632.7600
