COLUMN: Healing my inner child with RBD concert

¡Si soy Rebelde! After 15 years, the iconic Mexican pop band RBD returned in late October to perform one last time in the city of Los Angeles for their Soy Rebelde Tour 2023.

I was a 10-year-old when RBD first performed in Los Angeles. I remember begging my parents to take me to that concert. Despite several of my requests to my parents, I was unable to attend the concert since I come from a low-income family. Trust me, I was heartbroken.

One day, my mom was listening to the radio, and I overheard them announcing a giveaway for the 2006 RBD concert, the concert that I wanted to attend but could not afford by any means. The rules for the giveaway were to answer some questions the band had for the public. My mom and I called for hours trying to get those free tickets.

Trying for free tickets

At some point, I had given up calling the radio station, but my mom was determined to keep going. Next thing you know, the radio station had picked up my mom’s call, but unfortunately she did not win the tickets because she did not know the answers to their questions. I immediately started to cry because I had gotten my hopes up.

According to the LA Coliseum, RBD first performed in Los Angeles on March 18, 2006, breaking the record for the highest paid attendance for a Latin concert in the U.S. with 63,101 fans.

The pop band first became popularized in the 2004 telenovela, “Rebelde,” which follows the lives of six teenage students attending a prestigious private school called “Elite Way School.” Together, they decide to start a band, which is “rebelling” against school policy. In season one, episode 126, Mia, Giovanni, Miguel, Lupita, Diego and Roberta decide that their band is called RBD.

Best-selling Latin music artists

RBD was an international success, selling more than 15 million records, making the band one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time. Also, “Rebelde” became a classic telenovela within the Latino community.

In 2020, the RBD band had a successful virtual concert that I attended. I recall hearing rumors about the band possibly doing one last tour and closing the era for RBD fans. On Dec. 19, 2022, RBD’s official social platforms uploaded a video captioned “Soy Rebelde!!!” 

All members of the band, excluding Alfonso Herrera, changed their profile pictures to a black background with the band’s logo in white. In addition, there was a website created that showcased a countdown and a sign-up form, along with the words “Prepara tu corbata, Enero 19, 2023,” which translates to “Prepare your tie, January 19, 2023.” I remember the Internet going crazy with this announcement. Many RBD fans, including myself, experienced the website crashing from the traffic.

On January 19, 2023, a three-minute video confirming the reunion tour was displayed in cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City. Many fans gathered together just to witness the announcement. Even drones surrounded those areas to capture fans’ reactions. Footage of fans was later posted on RBD’s Instagram.

The Soy Rebelde Tour initially comprised 26 dates and was scheduled to begin on Aug. 25 in El Paso and continue throughout the U.S., Brazil and Mexico, ending on December 2, 2023 in Mexico City. Eventually, with the high demand from fans, they added a couple of more dates throughout the country.

Ticket prices

Just getting tickets on Ticketmaster was a frustrating experience. The waiting period for tickets was long, and the prices ranged from $300 and up. As a parent of a toddler, I couldn’t afford to spend anything higher than the actual starting price of tickets. Unfortunately, due to the high demand, most fair-priced tickets were bought, and I was left with $500 ticket prices. I remember telling myself, “This can’t be happening again.” Thankfully, they added an extra date to the Los Angeles tour dates, and I was able to buy my ticket for $262.

As a kid, RBD was everything to me. In elementary school, I would wear the uniforms from the telenovela at school. By the time I was in the fourth grade, I started to sell stickers, bubblegums and temporary tattoos of the band to my classmates. I don’t know what I was thinking back then or how my parents approved of this. Maybe I was trying to be a Rebelde.

Another iconic moment I had as a Rebelde fan was when me and my family decided to go to the swap meet, and they were giving out free movie tickets to see Ice Age: The Meltdown. The only trick to that was that I had to sing on stage in front of a crowd. I did exactly that; I got on stage and started singing one of the most famous songs from RBD, the Rebelde song.

Going to this concert as an adult was definitely an emotional roller coaster. I drove two hours from Bakersfield just to see them perform in LA. On my way there, I cried because I was in disbelief that my childhood dream was finally coming true. That night, when the band came out on stage, I didn’t know if I wanted to cry or jump out of happiness. I felt like little Amairani was coming out of me. I will never forget this night. This will be the best birthday gift I have ever had. Healing my inner child—forever and always. ¡Si soy Rebelde!