To Set The V-Day Mood - Go to a Latin Concert!

Flowers? Absolutely. Chocolates? Maybe. Expensive Jewelry? Depends on your brownie point status. Valentines day can get progressively harder for fathers, as they try to juggle between being a “Papi” with being a “Papi Chulo” for that special someone in their lives.

I get it. The kids require babysitting. The bills are tight. The inlaws are annoying. And we already know that V-day is commercialized and overpriced enough. So what’s a dude to do?

Take it from your compadres - the best thing you can do is to take your plus one to a Latin Music Concert.

Latinos have been taking their loved one’s to Valentine’s day concerts for years - in most major cities, this weekend will see a bevy of artists performing at some of the biggest venues in the world to sold out crowds, who mostly enter the stadium two by two.

Chris Ayala is an IT Professional in New York, and breaks down why logistically, it just makes sense. "Going to a concert is a great plan, because you don't have to do any intricate planning. The concert does the work for you - whether you do dinner or anything else before or after, the main part of the evening is already in place. It’s like a ‘performance-enhanced’ date." He told me.

Ayala went to see the Spanish latin-pop star Enrique Iglesias at Radio City Music Hall with his partner on Valentine’s day. "My wife has a huge crush on Enrique Iglesias, and we were just a few feet away from him - she was screaming her head off. I didn't mind. She was having fun and I knew this meant a great rest of the evening for me."

Marcelo Essaba is an Operations Director in Miami, has two boys, and regularly goes to concerts with his wife of 22 years. They’re go-to over the years is Mexican balladeer/crooner, Luis Miguel. “The Latin concert is usually a good bonding experience for us, we enjoy live music as a couple. It’s a great motivator for us, relaxes us, takes us back to the old days.” Essaba said.

Marcelo with his Wife Yasmania at Luis Miguel Concert, V-day 2016

Christian Guadalupe, a Clinical Nurse Manager and father of two in Washington DC, agrees. “A concert is where you can just let the music envelope you, and what a better moment than Valentine's Day with someone special.” Guadalupe took his future wife on Valentine’s day to a NYC's Madison Square Garden Salsa concert called "El Concierto del Amor" which featured various Caribbean artists, and has been hooked ever since. 

But why at Latin concert as opposed to say - top 40 pop or Country?

"The Latin music concert is definitely more romantic than any other type of concert. There is that certain Latino romantic quality that comes through, and the music usually lends itself to the evening. The artists definitely turn things up a notch during their Valentine's day concerts - they feel the crowd is full of romance, and they are trying to warm up the crowd - helping a brother out, if you will." Ayala said.

“A lot of the Latino artists - their songs focus on their romantic life and love.” Essaba said. “The majority of the genre is very sexy, romantic, exactly what you are trying to do for the moment.”

The crowd is also very different at the concerts, especially on that night, according to these dads. "The crowd definitely had a great vibe - lots of couples, women holding bouquets of flowers from their dates, people holding each other. Latinos aren't afraid to show affection." Ayala said.

Valentine’s Concerts can hit the wallet, especially for new parents on a budget. “Money was the big topic of consideration! The tickets were expensive, but worth it.” Guadalupe said.

All agree that the Latin music concert is the better option to warm up your valentine for a hot night. "It beats just going to dinner in Manhattan - most people who go to Valentine's day dates in the city are just preparing for a bad night. All the restaurants are adding tables so its overcrowded, the prices are higher, the flowers are more expensive, the couples around you are either too cheesy or fighting, or having conversations in your ear that you just don't want t hear. At a concert, everyone is enjoying music and dancing in the aisles. The pressure is off" Ayala said.

I remember taking my wife out to Puerto Rican Salsero Marc Anthony’s concert for Valentine’s day. Yes, each lady thought he was singing just to them, but the vibe was perfect, and Marc ever so expertly filled the evening with just the right amount of smooth to keep the mood and mixed in a burst of energy for tired parents to see it to the end of the night. Of that evening, the food, flowers and card were quickly forgotten, but the concert was talked about for days after - and credit given where due.

Me and the my sweetheart at Marc Anthony's V-day Concert in 2014

Logistically, finding a Latin music concert is relatively easy if you live near a major metro area - there are over 50 shows on Ticketmaster scheduled between Feb 11th and 18th in the “Latin Music” category, the majority of which are Valentine’s themed.

In new York, Marc Anthony again does his “Concierto Para los Enamorados” at the Prudential for Salsa loving folk, while those wanting a blast of Bachata can go to Madison Square garden for Romeo Santos - who’s god-given name is not lost to coincidence. In the Miami area, Various Artists including Oscar de Leon, Andy Montanez, and La India converge to celebrate Amor en Salsa - Bolero at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, while pop star/balladeers Myriam Hernandez and Alex Pires hold their own intimate events. Houston has one of my favorite Salseros, Gilberto Santa Rosa, while the Cambridge Massachusetts area has bachatero Hector Acosta. Even San Diego, California gets in on the action, with “Noches Romanticas Con Ramon Ayala Y Lorenzo De Monteclaro” singing Norteno music at The House of Blues.

All the dads I spoke too had easy babysitting plans - family is crucial to V-day, especially grandparents and single aunties. As the kids get older, those plans get easier because they can be left home to do what they do best - look at LCD screens.

They also agreed that making sure that taking loved ones to V-day concerts shouldn’t be a one time thing. Each expressed to me the importance of continuously going out and having fun, and making sure dancing and music are a part of the continued romance.

“Now, it's a little easier because our kids are old enough to be alone for enough time to allow us to get away for a date once a week.” Guadalupe said. Essaba Agrees. “At the end of the day - it makes the relationship stronger after parenthood. The key is to go out as much of you can. “

Essaba also had one warning - beware the “hold my bag” trap. “One thing that happened after a concert when two ladies were going down the stairs, and their husbands are holding these massive pocketbooks trying to step over the seats to catch up. Both men tripped over the top of the seats and the pocketbooks go flying with all the contents going everywhere. That’s why I never carry my wife’s pocketbook at these things, you never know what’s going to fly out.”

But absent a pocketbook slip and fall tragedy, you can’t go wrong at a Valentine's day Latin Music concert. Enjoy...you can thank me later.