Manuel García brings his "Panic" to Guadalajara

Chilean singer-songwriter Manuel García arrives in Guadalajara to commemorate the 20th anniversary of "Pánico," his first solo album and one of the most iconic of his career. The concert will be this Saturday, August 23, 2025, at Conjunto Santander, in an intimate setting where he will perform his songs accompanied only by his guitar. The evening promises to be intimate, emotional, and reflect the artist's most authentic essence.

Released in 2005 after his stint on Mecánica Popular, "Pánico" showcased a personal, lyrical, and profound style that cemented García's position as one of the most representative voices of the new generation of trova and singer-songwriter music in Chile.

Over the course of two decades, his themes have transcended, appearing in documentaries, films, and collaborations with other artists.

To celebrate these two decades, García is embarking on a special tour of various Latin American countries, offering a look back at the songs that marked the beginning of his career, as well as his most recent repertoire.

“I've been writing this album for several years, almost since I was a teenager, when I started getting interested in folk songs and all that,” the Chilean singer-songwriter said in an interview with EL INFORMADOR , looking back on this album that defined the course of his career.

“Later, I had the opportunity to study history, guitar, and various other things from which I extracted certain themes. When I recorded it, I realized that these were songs that my surroundings—friends, family, or when I was involved with an official event—were the ones that stayed with me, that had a certain permanence over time. Those flowers didn't dry up easily.”

“So, when I recorded the album, I already knew, at least, that they were part of that substratum that wasn't just my life, but other people's lives as well. It seems that the quality of those songs has managed to maintain itself from when I recorded it in 2005 until today. Their relevance isn't just because I play them or push them, but because I've been asked to use them for documentaries, films, or in collaborations with artists; they always choose a song from that album.”

Manuel García says that "Pánico" represented a kind of mystical portal in his career, something that allowed him to open up to the world as a solo artist, while also fulfilling his dream of creating material that was deeper than just a summer hit. "I thought of it as an open, calm, peaceful conversation that would allow other voices to heed the call of what 'Pánico' is as an album. And that remains to this day," says the singer.

A legacy from adolescence

Twenty years later, Manuel García comments that, although he is no longer the same man who wrote these songs, every time he performs them he is reminded of his youth. They are songs that have become part of the people, songs that transcended him as a composer.

"Well, the album, in general, reminds me pretty well of what a teenager I was, what young person I was, what dreams I had, and what things still hold both challenges and hopes for me. These images, many of which are based on literature and other albums, remain part of who I am as a person," says the singer.

“But there are also variations that have to do with social and political perspectives, and also with love. What has changed who I am as a person and the meaning of this album is the way other souls have incorporated these songs into their lives and how they've interpreted them. Sometimes, with much more depth and a better story than the original reasons why I composed these songs. That's a kind of dialectic, because even though there are opposing forces, a magical element emerges: ultimately, it's the songs that drive me to try to live up to them. They constantly demand something to do, a place to go, a different way of singing them, a reinterpretation of themselves. In the end, the songs end up dominating the author,” he adds.

Music was inevitable in the singer's life, coming from two art-loving parents and in a difficult social context, in the midst of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship, where music was a breath of freedom and fresh air in dark times, when repression and censorship were the order of the day.

“My mother was a great poetry reader, back in the days when having a book provided knowledge and entertainment. My father, on the other hand, was a great lover of the guitar and singing,” recalls Manuel García.

“Since I was a child, someone in my house would recite a poem or my father would sing a song. And among those songs, the ones that stuck with me the most were those with a social pulse. As a teenager, also raised under a brutal dictatorship, the only records that spoke to us with dignity and affection were those of Violeta Parra, Víctor Jara, Amparo Ochoa, Silvio Rodríguez, Atahualpa Yupanqui, and Joan Manuel Serrat. They were clandestine records, but they reflected our true selves. Coming from a family where singing and reciting were common, it was very easy for me to pick up the guitar at 12 years old and then try to compose my own songs.”

Manuel García will arrive in Guadalajara on Saturday, August 23rd to perform at Conjunto Santander. It will be a special evening where the Guadalajara audience will be able to enjoy a warm, emotional concert, reflecting the artist's pure essence, as he celebrates two decades of one of the most iconic albums of his career. Tickets start at 600 pesos at the Conjunto Santander box office and on the official website.

Singer-songwriter details

Manuel Javier García Herrera, known professionally as Manuel García, was born on March 1, 1970, in Arica, Chile. He studied History and Geography at the University of Tarapacá and later trained in guitar playing at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile in Santiago. His musical career began in the mid-1990s with the band Coré and later with Mecánica Popular, a group with which he fused trova, rock, and influences from Chilean new song.

In 2003, he decided to embark on his solo career and in 2005 released his first album, "Pánico." This album is considered a turning point in his career, as it established him as one of the most important voices in contemporary Chilean music. Featuring thirteen of his own compositions, "Pánico" stood out for its lyrical depth and intimate sound, to the point of being recognized by critics as one of the best Chilean albums of all time.

An intimate concert

Manuel García will perform at Room 2 of the Santander Complex on August 23, 2025, at 8:30 p.m.

CT