Live Nation’s Hans Schafer Talks Iglesias/Martin Tour & Latin Market

Hans Schafer: To be honest, it is impossible to list all of the events we are proud of, but some of the ones off the top of my head are the Romeo Santos tours we’ve done, which includes breaking records with his sold-out [2019] Utopia show at MetLife Stadium, which broke the record for the largest gross of any artist for a single night at the stadium. The Aventura reunion tour has also had multiple “firsts,” including being the only Latin act to perform and sell out the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Additionally, the Los Bukis reunion tour has been an honor to be a part of and help make happen. It has enormous historical importance to generations of regional music fans, and the excitement and demand around the tour has been incredible. They sold out two SoFi Stadium shows in record time, performed two shows at the Oakland Coliseum, and then became the first Latin act to perform and sell out two Soldier Field shows in Chicago. Los Bukis were also the first Latin act to perform at AT&T Stadium, home to the Dallas Cowboys.

[Live Nation’s CEO and President] Michael Rapino has long understood the importance and impact Latin music has in the U.S. and around the globe. He invested in the creation of a team that understood, lived and served Latin artists and fans with world-class services that only Live Nation could offer. Live Nation Latin Touring has promoted some of the biggest Latin artists in the world as well as the next generation of global Latin music. The beautiful thing about the team is that we understand that Latin isn’t just one genre, but it is made of a subset of important and impactful artists across Latin pop and hip-hop to reggaeton, regional Mexican and many more. 

It came together very organically. Enrique and Ricky have been friends for a very long time and had always talked about doing a tour like this. Although this tour was supposed to happen earlier last year, 2020 was clearly a year like no other. There was no guidebook created for the live industry on how to handle a complete pause on shows. Luckily, in 2021, we’ve seen great progress in the creation and rollout of multiple vaccines that are now allowing us to safely get back together and celebrate and enjoy live music again.

Enrique Igelsias and Ricky Martin is a dream package. Two of the biggest Latin pop icons sharing the stage together is going to make this an unforgettable tour after a much-anticipated wait. Both have been working together to design a show that fans will never forget. On top of that, the tour has Sebastian Yatra as a special guest. He has grown so much in such a short time and will undoubtedly be a force. Those who haven’t seen him perform yet are in for an extraordinary surprise. I am personally a big fan of his and believed from the beginning that he is the perfect artist to share the stage with two icons. In fact, I believe he is a future icon who is well on his way. 

This tour is a joint effort between Brad Wavra and myself. Between both of us, we have been promoting Enrique Iglesias since 2013. Of course, organizing and coordinating a tour of this monument is no easy feat but it has been a dream in the making for us both in many ways and we cannot wait to bring this dream to both of their fans across the U.S. this fall.