The Mexico City festival Vive Latino went ahead as planned this weekend despite basically every other large gathering in the world being cancelled due to the coronavirus epidemic. At least a dozen acts dropped off the bill and critics called for it to be cancelled, as well, but the show went on, with headliners Guns N Roses, Vicentico and Tucanes de Tijuana all scheduled to perform.
"Authorities are telling us that we are in Phase 1 [of the Coronavirus epidemic] and we can move forward and that's what we're doing," the festival's founder and director Jordi Puig told Billboard in an interview.
Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said in a press conference earlier in the week that "suspending mass events is not necessary." "Vive Latino will take place this weekend and some other activities, that were planned, that don’t have economic impact, those will be postponed," she said.
Per Billboard, precautions taken for the event include attendees getting their temperature checked before entering the festival grounds, drivers wearing masks and gloves, and having access to dressing rooms restricted to only artists and their teams.
Nonetheless, Guns N Roses took the stage on Saturday night and they broke out the Use Your Illusion II track "So Fine" for the first time in 27 years. Seems like it could have waited a few more weeks! The band's next scheduled show in San Jose, Costa Rica has been postponed, but their tour of South America and Central America is seemingly going ahead as planned, minus areas where the government has mandated they cannot perform.
Here's video:
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