Foro Sol

Foro Sol (Sun Forum)
Infierno Solar[1][2][3][4][5]

Location Av. Viaducto Río Piedad y Río Churubusco s/n
Col. Granjas México Delegación Iztacalco, C.P. 08400
Mexico City, Mexico[1]
Coordinates 19°24′17.6″N 99°5′45.4″W / 19.404889°N 99.095944°WCoordinates: 19°24′17.6″N 99°5′45.4″W / 19.404889°N 99.095944°W
Owner Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez
Operator Grupo CIE
Capacity Concerts: 55,000
Baseball: 26,000
Field size Left Field: 326 feet (99 m)
Center Field: 417 feet (127 m)
Right Field: 333 feet (101 m)[1]
Surface FieldTurf
Opened 1993
Tenants
Mexico Tigres (LMB) 2000–2001
Mexico City Red Devils (LMB) 2000–2014

Foro Sol (English: Sun Forum) is a sports and concert venue built in 1993 inside the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in eastern Mexico City.[1][6] It is located 10 minutes away from the Mexico City International Airport and is operated by Grupo CIE.[7]

The venue was originally built for staging large music concerts. Initially called the Autódromo, it could accommodate up to 50,000 people.[6] Since 2000, it has been used as a baseball stadium as well, because the only other major baseball stadium in Mexico City (Parque del Seguro Social, formerly Parque Delta) was demolished to build a shopping mall (the shopping mall is named Parque Delta and features a baseball theme).

It is home to the Diablos Rojos del México, a Mexican Baseball League team,[1][6] and hosted Pool B of the 2009 World Baseball Classic March 8–12, 2009.[8]

Its name comes from a popular beer brand of the Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma group.[9]

Foro Sol is the second largest concert venue in Mexico City; the largest, Estadio Azteca, has a capacity of 105,064.[10]

Madonna was the first world-class act to perform at the Foro Sol on 12 November 1993, when it was still called "Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez" ("Rodriguez Brothers Racetrack") for her first visit to Mexico in the Girlie Show tour on 10, 12 and 13 November 1993.

Notable events

The venue is the host of Vive Latino, an annual multi-day rock music festival. It is one of the most important rock en español music festivals in the world, featuring a great variety of Mexican, Latin and Spanish groups of many genres, including performances of bands like Café Tacuba, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Gustavo Cerati, Ozomatli, Sepultura, Ska-P and non-Spanish speaking bands like The Wailers, Jane's Addiction, Deftones, The Chemical Brothers and The Mars Volta.

Pink Floyd performed two sold out shows in April 9 and 10, 1994 during the Division Bell Tour.

U2 performed at the stadium on December 2 and 3, 1997 during their PopMart Tour, in front of a total crowd of 106,966 people. The second show was filmed and recorded for the group's concert film PopMart: Live from Mexico City and for the band's live album Hasta la Vista Baby! U2 Live from Mexico City, respectively.

On October 23, 1997 David Bowie gave his first and only show on Mexico, touring his Earthling album, he was accompanied by Erasure as the opening band. He will return later this year.

Backstreet Boys performed 3 consecutive concerts at the stadium on 2001 during Black & Blue Tour.

Rush performed a show October 5, 2002 on their Vapor Trails Tour. This was their first tour after a 4 year hiatus and the first time to play in Mexico.

Iron Maiden recorded part of their "Flight 666" documentary for their Somewhere Back In Time World Tour. In their documentary video they play "Can I Play with Madness" to 60,000 people (in the real concert they play their main setlist). They returned to perform in front of another 55,000 people on the 18 March 2011, during The Final Frontier World Tour.[11] Iron Maiden filled the stadium many times in the past with appearances in 2001, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013.

Metallica recorded their World Magnetic Tour shows on June 4 and 6-7, 2009, for their Orgullo, Pasión y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México concert video.[12]

Depeche Mode performed at the stadium four times: the first and the second were on May 4 and 5, 2006 during their Touring the Angel, in front of a total sold out crowd of 105,040 people. The third and the fourth were on October 3 and 4, 2009 during their Tour of the Universe, in front of a total crowd of 88,380 people. All shows were recorded for the group's live albums projects Recording the Angel and Recording the Universe, respectively.

Panorama of Foro Sol

On May 27, 2007 the High School Musical: The Concert Tour was presented here

On January 19, 2008 Tiësto performed here as a part of his Elements of Life World Tour

On November 29–30, 2008 Madonna presented her Sticky and Sweet Tour with two sold-out concerts in her comeback to Mexico after 15 years, since her last visit with her Girlie Show Tour in 1993.[13][14] She also presented her MDNA Tour on November 24 and 25, 2012. Both dates were sold out.

Britney Spears started a two date, sold-out show stint on July 27, 2002 with her "Dream Within a Dream Tour" But during her second show on July 28, she left the stage due to bad weather conditions and was shortly cancelled.[15][16] Spears did not perform in the country on her next two concert tours but returned to the venue on December 3, 2011, nearly 10 years later with her "Femme Fatale Tour".[17] The 2002 shows were documented in the documentary Stages: Three Days in Mexico.

Coldplay performed 2 shows at the stadium on March 6 and 7, 2010 during Viva la Vida Tour.

Paul McCartney performed here on May 27 and 28, 2010 in front of a sold out audience of 55,000 people as a part of his Up and Coming Tour

Bon Jovi performed at the stadium two times: the first one was on September 24, 2010 during their Circle Tour in front of a sold out crowd of 44,124 people. The second one was on September 10, 2013 during their Because We Can, in front of a sold out crowd of 35,222 people.

On February 14 and 15, 2003 Colombian singer Shakira presented her Tour of the Mongoose and came back on April 2 and 3, 2011, she gave two sold out shows as a part of her Sale el Sol World Tour at this venue.

Lady Gaga presented the closing of her Monster Ball Tour in May 2011 at this venue. She gave two sold-out concerts on May 5 and 6, 2011, for an over-capacity total audience of 111,060 people (55,530 per show). She came back to Foro Sol for a sold-out show with her worldwide tour The Born This Way Ball Tour on October 26, 2012.

Miley Cyrus presented her Gypsy Heart Tour here in front of a sold out audience of 55,000 spectators on May 26, 2011

Justin Bieber presented his My World Tour at this stadium on October 1 and 2, 2011.

The American rock band Pearl Jam played at the stadium on November 24, 2011, as part of their 20th anniversary tour.[18]

Roger Waters played two sold out show on April 27 and 28, 2012 as part of The Wall Live.

The venue hosts other festivals, including MOTOROKR Festival on 2007 and 2008;[19] featuring presentations by Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, The Killers, The Flaming Lips, Incubus, Paramore, The Kooks, and The Dandy Warhols; Zero Fest in 2008; which featured performances by My Morning Jacket, The Smashing Pumpkins, My Chemical Romance, and Bright Eyes, and the Alternative Festival on 2003; featuring Gustavo Cerati, Placebo, Kinky and Café Tacvba.

The venue is the host of Vive Latino, an annual three day rock music festival. It is one of the most important rock en español music festivals in the world, featuring a great variety of Mexican, Latin and Spanish groups of many genres, including performances of bands like Café Tacuba, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Gustavo Cerati, Ozomatli, Sepultura, Ska-P and non-Spanish speaking bands like The Wailers, Jane's Addiction, Deftones, The Chemical Brothers and The Mars Volta.

KISS and Motley Crue performed in on September 29, 2012 as part of The Tour.

English band Florence + the Machine performed for the first time on October 14, 2012 for their Ceremonials Tour.

Swedish House Mafia performed on February 9, 2013 as part of their One Last Tour.

The Killers came back to Mexico on April 13, 2013, playing at Foro Sol for the first time to a sold out venue as part of the promotion for their 2012 album, Battle Born.

Iron Maiden with special guests Slayer and Ghost, performed on September 17, 2013 as part of Maiden England World Tour.

During 2013, British Boy-band One Direction performed here as part of their world-wide Take Me Home Tour.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Foro Sol.
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Foro Sol" (in Spanish). Diablos Rojos del México. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  2. ↑ Clem, Andrew G. (10 April 2011). "Clem's Baseball ~ Foro Sol". Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  3. ↑ "Retornan al Infierno Solar". Ediciones Impresas Milenio (in Spanish). Milenio Diario, S.A. de C.V. 12 May 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  4. ↑ "Los Leones llegan al 'infierno solar' - Mexican League News" (in Spanish). 9 May 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  5. ↑ "Conciertos en Foro Sol, Ciudad de México – Last.fm" (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "World Stadiums - Stadiums in Mexico :: Central Mexico". Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  7. ↑ "Corporación Interamericana de Entretenimiento, S.A.B. de C.V. (2010 Annual Report)" (PDF) (in Spanish). Grupo CIE. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  8. ↑ "Schedule (2009 World Baseball Classic)". MLB.com. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  9. ↑ "Sol beer, imported bottled beer from Mexico - Mexican beer - Sol". Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  10. ↑ "El Azteca, cuna de campeones" (in Spanish). FIFA. 29 March 2009. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  11. ↑ Pereztrejo, Sergio. "Vigilarán 4 mil 165 policías preventivos las actividades durante el "puente"". El Sol de Mexico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2011-06-19.
  12. ↑ Metallica: Orgullo pasión y gloria. Tres noches en la ciudad de México. (Video 2009) at the Internet Movie Database
  13. ↑ "Madonna.com > Tours > Sticky & Sweet Tour 2008". p. 29 November. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  14. ↑ "Madonna.com > Tours > Sticky & Sweet Tour 2008". p. 30 November. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  15. ↑ Vineyard, Jennifer (30 July 2002). "Britney Says Lightning Storm Forced Her To End Mexico Show". MTV Networks. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  16. ↑ "Spears Apologizes For Mexico Cancellation". Billboard (Nielsen Company). 30 July 2002. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  17. ↑ "Britney Spears Femme Fatale Tour". http://www.britneyspears.com''. Retrieved 2011-07-27.
  18. ↑ "Pearl Jam Announces 2011 South and Central American Tour". pearljam.com. 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2011-07-11.
  19. ↑ "MOTOROKR Fest 07 at Foro Sol (Ciudad de México) on 19 Oct 2007 – Last.fm". Retrieved 3 July 2011.