Photo by Sherri Calderon
Yesterday, I wrote about how fortunate I was to see Ricky Martin in concert at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Arena a couple of weeks ago. Now, I’m just a few days away from Menudo’s 50th Anniversary concert in New York City.
My fall seems to be filled with wonderful trips down memory lane—to younger, more carefree days. We all need that sometimes, and I’m beyond grateful.
A few weeks ago I wrote about this tour, and how former Menudo members Rene Farrait, Roy Rossello, Sergio Blass, Raymond Acevedo, Ralphy Rodriguez, Ruben Gomez, and Robert Avellanet were participating. The group will reach its 50-year milestone in November 2027, and these seven singers decided to get the party started early.
My friends and I couldn’t be happier. We’re ready to celebrate decades of music and friendship.
Some people have said they wish this former member or that one would participate. I would have loved for my favorite member Charlie Masso to take part, but he didn’t, and I’m OK with that. Because the one thing I know for certain, especially after hearing from fans who have already seen the show in Los Angeles and Chicago, is that these seven singers are committed to giving their fans the best Menudo concert they have ever seen. There will be dancing; there will be tears of joy; there will be smiles for days to come. How wonderful that they took time out of their busy schedules to celebrate with those of us who were there for moral support through the years.
My Menudo journey began in my ninth-grade Spanish class, when my teacher would, every once in a while, show us “La gente joven de Menudo.” During the show, the band members sang, danced, and joked around. It was around 1982/1983, and while the rest of my classmates did their homework, those boys got my attention and captured my heart. Before you knew it, I was buying every album I could and learning everything I could about each of the members, even the former ones. Concerts and meet-and-greets in New York and Puerto Rico were a part of my life for several years. From the minute I knew Charlie was my favorite, I would hold my breath hoping he wasn’t the next to leave. Somehow, whenever it was his turn, someone would leave unexpectedly, and it wasn’t until early 1987 that he left the group. Even then, a few months later, he was asked to fill in for a few months after Robby (Draco) Rosa left the group a few months before it was planned for him to leave.
Even after Charlie left the group permanently, I stuck around. One reason was that while hanging around with other fans, I heard news about Charlie and other former members I was interested in. Also, through the years, I had made friends with people who were a little younger than me, and their parents trusted them to go into the city with me, even to Puerto Rico. In some ways, I was a big sister of sorts, and I couldn’t let them down. And while I finally stopped following the group a couple of years after Charlie left, during that time I was able to show my support for Menudo members who were extremely talented. I may not have had crushes on any of them, but it was an honor to watch them grow up.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of your favorite group is a gift. So this Saturday in New York City, my fangirl mode will be fully activated. Whether it’s Rene and Roy, who I feel like I grew up with, or Raymond, Sergio, Ruben, Ralphy, and Robert, who I watched grow up, I will be cheering every one of them on 100 percent.
If you haven’t bought your tickets yet and you live in New York, Florida, Mexico, or Puerto Rico, don’t miss out. Visit menudo.com or ticketmaster.com and search “Menudo.”
