1 Dead, Multiple Injured After Violence Erupts Ahead of Damas Gratis Concert in Bogotá

A concert by the popular Argentine cumbia band Damas Gratis — which had been scheduled to take place on Wednesday (Aug. 6) night at the Movistar Arena in Bogotá — was canceled before it even started after violent clashes erupted inside the venue, then spilled outside. Local police reported one person had died and five injured with stab wounds.

Carlos Fernando Galán, the mayor of Bogotá, addressed the situation in an Instagram Story late Wednesday, and confirmed the fatality. “I regret the death of a person tonight outside the Movistar Arena, who, according to preliminary information, was hit by a car. In any case, this will be investigated.”

Pablo Lescano, leader of Damas Gratis, publicly expressed his sorrow as well. “Chau Bogotá, Colombia. You broke my heart,” he wrote on his Instagram Story. “I’m very sad about everything that happened.”

The incident was marked by violent confrontations reportedly involving rival football fan groups, often referred to as “barras bravas,” who clashed inside the venue as well as in the surrounding areas. These fights led to physical altercations and left several individuals with injuries, some requiring hospitalization.

“The violent incidents that took place at the Movistar Arena before a concert are absolutely reprehensible,” Mayor Galán added in his Instagram Story. “This type of violence cannot be overlooked or accepted as normal. As a result of the fights, several people are being treated at different hospitals in the city.”

Galán said he had called a meeting with the concert promoters, representatives of the Movistar Arena, the secretary of government, the secretary of security and the commander in charge of the Bogotá Metropolitan Police so that “they can present me with a full report of what happened and thus establish responsibility where appropriate,” he explained. “Violence has no place in our society.”

The concert, which was supposed to cap off the band’s mini-tour in Colombia, was plagued by warnings on social media prior to the event, with concerns that rival football fans might clash at the venue, according to local media Clarín.

Bogotá’s secretary of government stated that the event’s private security measures were overwhelmed and clarified that investigations are underway to understand the full scope of what occurred, according to local paper El Tiempo. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police reported five people with stab wounds.

Earlier in August, Damas Gratis graced the cover of Billboard Argentina, with Lescano reflecting in the story about 25 years of leading the cumbia villera genre. The pioneering band is known for revolutionizing Argentine cumbia in the late 1990s, blending raw lyrics from urban slang with synthesizer-drenched melodies and rebellious rhythms. Its hit songs “Se Te Ve La Tanga” and “Los Dueños del Pabellón” remain emblematic of the band’s innovative style.