Rubén Blades, Roberto Delgado Orquesta

Rubén Blades will perform at L’Olympia in Paris on 12 July 2026, accompanied by the Roberto Delgado Orquesta. A leading figure of urban salsa that emerged in 1970s New York, the Panamanian singer-songwriter has forged an art of storytelling in which neighborhood life, social issues and fictional characters find their way into song. On stage, his spoken-sung voice leads the performance, alternating precise soneos with stories propelled by montunos that keep the dance alive.

With the Roberto Delgado Orquesta, in a big-band format, his songs take on a new dimension: a tight brass section, solid tumbaos and percussion in constant interplay. The repertoire draws on his collaborations with Willie Colón, his years with Seis del Solar and his recent recordings with the orchestra, from Siembra and Buscando América to Salsa Big Band. The set is conceived for the venue, moving between salsa, Latin jazz and Afro-Caribbean influences, where narrative songwriting remains central and the collective energy builds tension without artifice.