In April 2011, after almost 16 years of separation, the legendary Mexican band Caifanes reunited and played emotion-filled concerts for tens of thousands of delirious devotees at the massive Vive Latino and Coachella festivals in Mexico City and Los Angeles. The fans turned the venues into a massive karaoke session, singing along with their heroes, who recaptured the magic that defined their success.

Between 1987 and 1995, Caifanes released several albums that became important in Mexican rock history, including El Negro, El Diablito, and El Silencio. Caifanes helped to musically liberate a new generation. “There was an existential need for the creation of the group,” says frontman Saul Hernández, who later co-founded Jaguares. “Up to then, it was all blues and heavy metal. We came to develop a new language to communicate our identity.”

As Caifanes reached new creative heights, the chaotic nature of touring and recording began to tear the band apart. On August 18, 1995 the band played its last show. “We no longer understood each other,” says Hernández. “We lost the magic.”

The reunion concerts at Vive Latino and Coachella were clear evidence of a renewed determination, from the first chords of the anthemic dirge “Ser Por Eso,” when more than 70,000 people passionately singing along. They reunited again to play Valley View Casino Center (formerly San Diego Sports Arena) on September 17, 2011.