Raphael thrills fans in Mexico

Mexico City: Spanish singer Raphael took his ‘Mi Gran Noche Tour’ to Mexico City, where more than 9,000 fans joined him for a concert that showed he has not lost a step.

The 69-year-old singer showed the same energy that first helped him make a name for himself in the 1960s. Raphael opened the show Saturday night at Mexico City`s National Auditorium with ‘Si ha de ser asi’. He followed that up with ‘Mi gran noche’, the title cut from his latest album, which features 14 of his standards with a new ‘Big Band’ sound. "Can you believe that being in Mexico once again is really important for me? I remember `67, `68, `69 ... Marvellous to be here again with you," the singer told his fans. The audience, mostly women in the over 50 age group, gave the singer a warm welcome. Mexico City is the first stop on a tour that will take Raphael to five other cities in Mexico, as well as the US, Canada and Spain. IANS