Concert review: Latin pop star Becky G opens Minnesota State Fair Grandstand season with abundantly good vibes

Ross Raihala, Pioneer Press
·2 min read

Latin pop star Becky G opened the Minnesota State Fair’s Grandstand season Thursday night with a somewhat understated but entertaining set of bilingual dance songs, slow-burning ballads and all-around great late summer vibes.

“Mi nombre es Becky G,” the 27-year-old California native told the crowd of 4,422. “I love you, too!”

Born Rebbeca Marie Gomez, Becky G decided to start her musical career at the age of 9 and, two years later, made her acting debut in the short film “El Tux” and a Spanish language film for the Discovery Channel. In the time since, she has continued to act and score numerous hits, many collaborations with other artists.

Her DJ opened her set with a 20-minute mix of songs from the likes of Elvis Crespo (“Suavemente”), Mana (“Oye Mi Amor”), La Sonora Dinamita (“Escandalo”) and even a bit of Becky G’s own early single “Becky from the Block.” While its time could have been cut in half, the appreciative audience sang and danced along.

Backed by a nimble three-piece rock band (guitar, bass, drums), her DJ and a half dozen suave backup dancers (with whom she gleefully interacted with throughout the show), she opened with “Mayores,” the 2017 single that gave her first major breakthrough hit. As would be the case in other songs, the vocal parts from Bad Bunny — who stands as not only Latin music’s biggest star, but one of the world’s biggest stars overall — arrived on tape.

Several times, Becky G talked about how playing the State Fair reminded her of early days when she played Jingle Balls, showcases, other fairs and even parking lots. “My younger self was so looking forward to this show,” she said, adding she ate onion rings and a whole bucket of cookies earlier in the day.

During “Dolores,” an album cut from her sophomore record “Esquemas,” Becky G invited a fan to join her onstage and who promptly gave her the first of three boisterous hugs. It was a cute moment in an evening full of them.

As much fun as her faster songs can be, Becky G’s finest performances came during more midtempo and sultry numbers like “Cuando Te Bese,” “Ya Acabo” and “Chanel.” The pint-size performer has a warm and inviting vocal style and never lapses into distracting showboating, making pretty much everything she sang a delight.

Becky G wrapped her show with her decade-old hit “Shower,” which once again had the crowd swooning. She left the stage after just 90 minutes, which included the aforementioned DJ set. In this case, a little more Becky G was clearly in order.

Related Articles

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next