Maná has sold out large arenas for decades. Next year, its only shows in the United States will be a lot more intimate.
On Monday, the “Oye Mi Amor” rockers announced a 2027 residency at the Yaamava’ Resort & Casino in San Manuel.
The six-date stint is scheduled for April 6, 8, 11 and Sept. 1, 2, 6, 2027.
Originally opened as a bingo hall in 1986, The Yaamava’ Resort & Casino — expanded into what is now a 700,000-square-feet luxury resort-casino in 2021 following a $750-million renovation. Owned and operated by the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, Yaamava’ opened a 3,000-seat state-of-the-art theater in 2022.
In the years since, the San Bernardino County venue has attracted crowds by booking high-caliber acts like the Smashing Pumpkins, Mariah Carey, the Killers, Ed Sheeran and more.
Founded in 1986 in Guadalajara, Mexico, Maná is considered a pioneer of rock en español. The “Clavado En Un Bar” quartet has sold more than 45 million records, won four Grammys and eight Latin Grammys and were nominated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last February. In November, Maná set the record for most arena performances in the greater L.A. area — 43 — after performing at Inglewood’s Kia Forum, a venue with a capacity of more than 17,000.
Performing at a much smaller venue won’t be an issue for the band, said lead singer Fher Olvera.
“Here at the Yaamava’ we have the opportunity to be more intimate. We can talk more about the history of our songs, our experiences with each song, every moment we’ve endured as a band,” he said. “Maná began by playing at smaller venues, bars, theaters.”
The residency is a first for the band and for Yaamava’. It’s the latest push by the the resort-casino to attract Latino audiences in the area. San Bernardino County is the third most populous Latino county in California (1.17 million people), after Riverside (1.2 million) and Los Angeles (4.8 million).
“We were really looking for a band that’s completely iconic in the space they represent,” said Drew Dixon, vice president of entertainment for Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel. “They literally define iconic in the Latin rock space.”
In the coming weeks, Chilean pop star Mon Laferte and grupero band Bronco will perform at Yaamava’. November’s concert slate features Mexican acts Jorge Medina of La Arrolladora Banda El Limon, Pedro Fernandez, El Tri and Los Tucanes de Tijuana.
“It’s really special for a property to define their first residency with a band like Maná,” said Dixon. “It really goes to show the awareness of not only the market that we operate in, but also the awareness of how the Latino culture has really impacted the United States as a whole.”
With Maná, the tribal resort-casino not only gets a tried-and-true legacy act, but also one that is capable of drawing a multigenerational fan base.
“What [young people] are saying right now is that we’re legends,” said Olvera, laughing audibly. “You realize that you have so many years and you’re part of the soundtrack of their life.”
According to drummer Alex González, the residency will be somewhat nostalgic for the band.
“All of our career, we’ve been more grassroots,” González said. “We would play at a bar and maybe 20 people would go, plus the waiters, but we played as if we were in front of 10,000 people. When we would return the next month, it wasn’t 20 people, it was 60. So the attitude of the band has always been to play the best as possible and bring people. To come here, it brings memories of when we were beginning to launch the rocket.”
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