A Laptop & The Power of Manifestation: How Rawayana Envisioned Its Historic Arena Tour
Categoria: Musica
"Beto" Montenegro and "Fofo" Story, together with Hans Schafer of Live Nation, delivered a masterclass at Billboard Latin Music Week.
Por Billboard | 20/10/2026
A laptop with a PowerPoint presentation and the vision of a tour concept for Rawayana. That’s how the dream began — a dream that the Venezuelan band is now fulfilling with their first-ever world arena tour ¿Dónde Es El After?, promoted by Live Nation. The story was shared on Tuesday (Oct. 20) by lead singer Alberto “Beto” Montenegro, drummer Andrés “Fofo” Story and Hans Schafer, senior vice president of global touring at Live Nation, during Billboard Latin Music Week 2026. Related How ‘Failure’ and ‘Chaos’ Inspired Rawayana’s Road from Local Act to Universal Party Band How Live Nation’s Hans Schafer Redefined Latin Touring’s Global Potential: ‘It’s Not One-Size-Fits-All’ Pitch Music & Arts Unveils 2027 Lineup for 10th Anniversary Edition At the panel “Rawayana Beyond the Stage,” moderated by Billboard Español deputy editor Sigal Ratner-Arias, the trippy-pop band revealed what’s behind this milestone, which includes 23 dates across North America. The U.S. leg of the trek kicked off on Oct. 15 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, with stops in Atlanta, Toronto, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles before concluding in December with three sold-out nights in Miami. “[Beto] came in with his computer, and the vision of what he wanted was so clear,” said Schafer, Billboard ’s 2026 Latin Power Players Executive of the Year. “There’s no path without failure; you have to find that identity. That’s what makes Rawayana special. It’s a band that’s very difficult to categorize but very easy to recognize.” This past April, Rawayana — also comprised of Antonio “Tony” Casas (bass) and Alejandro “Abeja” Abeijón (guitar) — kicked off their first world tour, selling out arenas across Europe and Latin America. The tour is in support or their album ¿Dónde Es El After? , released under their indie label Broccoli Records and distributed by Rimas Entertainment. The set has been nominated for album of the year at the 2026 Latin Grammys. The band is also a finalist at the Billboard Latin Music Awards, set to take place this Thursday (Oct. 22), and is featured on Billboard Español ’s October digital cover. “We’re Venezuelans, and coming from a place where there was basically no foundation or structure for anything, we had to invent, produce our own concerts and intuitively learn every aspect of the business,” Montenegro said. “Then, when we started going international, we began to understand other things.” During the panel, the two Rawayana members reflected on the influence of iconic Venezuelan bands like Los Amigos Invisibles and Cultura Profética. Story described Los Amigos as “an institution” that opened their eyes to musical possibilities at a time when they had a more alternative sound. “These people set out to leave Venezuela and did so at the highest level, rooted in a strong identity. I remember the shock of seeing Los Amigos Invisibles live. It changed