Colombian singer Juanes got to live the ultimate rock and roll fantasy Thursday night when he performed live on stage with rock gods the Rolling Stones, and fittingly, it was in front of his countrymen and women.
Juanes is a musical icon in his own right; he is a two-time Grammy winner and, quite remarkably, a 21-time Latin Grammy award winner. He is best known in North America for his smash song "La Camisa Negra" (The Black Shirt), which charted at number one on Billboard's "Hot Latin Songs" chart in 2004 for multiple weeks.
Juanes joined the Stones on stage for the classic "Beasts of Burden" off of the 1978 essential album "Some Girls." In front of a packed house at the Estadio El Campín in Bogotá, the ageless Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger invited the Colombian crooner on stage, introducing Juanes flatteringly. "Someone we love, someone from your country, our 'parcero' ('buddy')... Juanes!" Jagger said to the Colombian crowd. The stadium exploded while watching a local hero perform with the British legends. Juanes and Jagger whaled the track into the mic as they sang a duet, and towards the end of the song, Juanes engaged in a mini riff-off with guitarist Keith Richards.
Interestingly, hours before the show, Juanes posted a photo on his Facebook of him and his wife model/actress Karen Martinez and wrote, "Excited today because I'm going to see The Stones in Bogotá." However, Juanes remained cryptic and did not let his fans know that he would be performing live on stage.
After the experience, the home country hero talked about his gratitude towards the Rolling Stones for making the lifelong dream come true. "I have no words to describe the emotion of sharing a stage with The Rolling Stones, especially in my country. What an honor to have them play here in Colombia and to have the opportunity to join them. It has been a night I will never forget," he said.
The Rolling Stones are currently touring for the first time in a decade in South America on their "Ole" tour of South America and Mexico.
La felicidad de ver a un amigo cumpliendo un sueño abrazos @juanes @therollingstones#StonesColombia pic.twitter.com/Fg0t0mGCHj
— Carlos Vives (@carlosvives) 11 March 2016
