This week, Haide Escorcia treated her nephew, Anton Hoerold, to a once-in-a-lifetime, only-in-Las Vegas vacation.
Carín León at Sphere was the centerpiece of this adventure.
The trip was Escorica’s surprise gift to Hoerold for completing his college studies overseas in Germany. The family is originally from Mexico and are big Carín León fans; Hoerold had seen him five years ago while away at school. They had tickets to Thursday’s sold-out show, with a crowd of about 17,600 on hand.
Instead, the performance was abruptly called off and postponed until Sept. 15, 2027. “An unexpected transportation issue” is the now-infamous official explanation. The announcement inside the venue was made at 8:30 p.m., as Sphere was filled.
León’s reps, Sphere officials and an exec with promoter AEG Presents have not returned requests for comment.
His schedule to perform Friday, Saturday and Sunday is unchanged. But Thursday was a rough night at Sphere, thanks to León’s travel plans and defective aeronautics.
Escorica and Hoerold were among thousands of fans left disappointed and frustrated. Escorica had spent about $4,000 on her Vegas trip, including tickets (at nearly $1,300 total on StubHub), airfair and two rooms at Fontainebleau. The quick vacay was Hoerold’s first visit to the city.
“This was the only shot I had to do this,” said the 23-year-old, who has earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and is pursuing his master’s at University of Siegen. “I mean, I would never, as a student, have the chance to come here by my own means.”
But at 8:30 p.m., about the time the Leon was to take the stage, the packed house was told the show was off.
The ebullient scene, which included a crescendo of horns heralding (the crowd thought) Leon’s arrival, quickly turned sour. The primarily Spanish-speaking crowd chanted a profanity synonymous with traitor or coward, commonly shouted disparagingly at sporting events.
“It was like a choir of people, all shouting it,” Hoerold said in a phone chat Friday morning. “The response was unanimous.”
Escorica and Hoerold referred to seeing fans stomping on Leon-branded merchandise they’d just purchased as a result of the late call-out. Videos and images on social media only reinforced the fans’ anger.
“The venue was totally full, and then [we] were are advised that Carín Leon will not reach the venue,” said Escorica, who has founded her own marketing company in Naucalpan, just northwest of Mexico City. “But I think the Sphere, of course, knows that beforehand. They don’t advise us at a good time, and we are like spending money here in the Sphere, and the Sphere knows that Carin Leon will not reach the Sphere.”
The two spent more than $200 just on concessions before the announcement. Drinks in commemorative cups add up. As a consolation prize, Escorica and Hoerold are to see “Wizard of Oz at Sphere” on Friday afternoon.
“I hope we catch an apple,” Hoerold said.
Fans have questioned why Leon would need to fly into Vegas on the day of a residency show. It’s not so unusual. Barry Manilow flies to and from his home in Palm Springs, day-of, for his dates at Westgate.
But Leon has been staying at Fontainebleau as part of a resortwide “takeover” coinciding with his Sphere residency. The Latin superstar reportedly left Vegas on short notice and attempted to fly back to the city on Thursday. His travel plans have not been formally confirmed, but he has a home in Hermosillo, the capital of the border state of Sonora, Mexico.
Leon posted that multiple mechanical failures on two private jets prevented him from making the trip back to Vegas. The first malfunction was related to the brake system. The second was related to its navigational system.
He explained on social media that he had tried to depart at around 2 or 3 p.m. A second plane arrived for him around 4:30-5 p.m., but he was warned the planes were not safe.
He apologized in writing and via video on his Instagram account: “My people, due to an unexpected setback during my transfer, and always putting everyone’s safety first, unfortunately we have to reschedule tonight’s show at Sphere. I know all the effort … and the desire that many brought to be here tonight, and I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this may cause.”
Leon’s partner, Meylin Zuniga, bolstered Leon’s explanation on her social channels (as translated from Spanish): “Carín is a person very dedicated to his work and today we had 2 flight attempts. The one already scheduled for 2 pm (brake failure) and the one that arrived after 5 pm (failure of something that I don’t understand) that after making a thousand attempts to solve they did NOT allow us to fly !!”
There was a third attempt to deliver the superstar to Vegas.
“There was a third one that is the funniest .. one that was full of people with hats to Las Vegas, what do you think? … They told US NO hahaha thank you very much.” She also added, “What are the chances that 2 TOP planes won’t work on the same day?”
Zuniga indicated the trip was related to family issues. The couple shares four children from previous marriages. Leon’s kids reportedly live with their mother. Zuniga said “the eldest” was celebrating a birthday with his mom.
From the post: “WE ARE A normal FAMILY like everyone else. And I think Carín shows them in all his shows how much he cares. We hope to see you on September 15, 2027.”
But they won’t see two fans who had one shot to see Leon in Las Vegas.
“I won’t make it. I have to return to Germany,” Hoerold said. “It’s just quite heartbreaking, you know, because we traveled all the distance. We are fans. I’m still quite in shock, even now.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
Who: Carín León.
Where: Sphere.
When: Saturday, Sunday, Sept. 10, 11, 12 and 13.
Tickets: thesphere.com.
Set list from Friday, Sept. 4
**
No Es Por Acá (Mixed)
Ruca
Desde Que Te Tengo
La Buena
Como Lo Hice Yo (with Matisse)
Ahí Estabas Tú
Ojos Cerrados (with Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga)
Decreté
Primera Cita
Casi Oficial
Cuando la Vida Sea Trago
Qué Más Puedo Pedir (Bonus Track)
Dame un Beso y Dime Adiós (En Vivo, with Grupo Yndio)
She Hurts Like Tequila (with Cody Johnson)
Secuelas De Amor
Según Quién (with Maluma)
De Compas
Ese Vato No Te Queda (with Gabito Ballesteros)
La Boda del Huitlacoche (feat. Honorables) [En Vivo]
**
Source: Bandsintown