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Fito Páez: Tiny Desk Concert

NPR

This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an 'El Tiny' takeover.

What an honor to host Fito Páez, one of the pioneers of Argentine rock, at the Tiny Desk for the start of Latin Music Month. In 1984, Páez released his debut solo album one year after Augusto Pinochet's brutal dictatorship, joining the swell of Spanish language rock and roll that was growing in Argentina. His lyrical insight was poignant then and resonates now.

In this set, his beloved storytelling is on full display as well as his connection to the audience. Páez reaches back to early '90s classics, including "A Rodar Mi Vida" and "Mariposa Tecknicolor," but also features the retrospective new song "Sale el Sol." The closing feels like a homecoming with a rendition of "Circo Beat" that wildly transitions into the reference-heavy "Tercer Mundo," which gets a few lyrical updates for 2025.

SET LIST

  • "A Rodar Mi Vida"
  • "Mariposa Tecknicolor"
  • "Sale el Sol"
  • "Circo Beat"
  • "Tercer Mundo"

MUSICIANS

  • Fito Páez: vocals, keys
  • Juani Agüero: guitar, background vocals
  • Vandera: guitar, background vocals
  • Diego Olivero: bass, background vocals
  • Juan Absatz: keys, background vocals
  • Emme: background vocals
  • Gastón Baremberg: drums
  • Alejo von der Pahlen: trumpet
  • Ervin Stutz: tenor saxophone
  • Santiago Benítez: trombone

TINY DESK TEAM

  • Producers: Anamaria Sayre, Felix Contreras
  • Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
  • Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
  • Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
  • Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Sofia Seidel
  • Audio Engineer: Neil Tevault
  • Production Assistants: Ashley Pointer, Dora Levite
  • Photographer: Zayhra Rodriguez
  • Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
  • Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
  • Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
Felix Contreras is co-creator and host of Alt.Latino, NPR's pioneering radio show and podcast celebrating Latin music and culture since 2010.