There was a time when Vicentico and Flavio Cianciarulo talked about their future. “We used to say, ‘Hey, what are we going to do when we’re 45?’” recalls Los Fabulosos Cadillacs’ bassist, also known as Sr. Flavio, in an interview with Billboard Español. “‘Let’s start saving a bit to open a kiosk or something.’ Back then, we were 29 years old.”
Thirty-two years later, the iconic Argentinian band remains as active as ever, filling stadiums and sharing their music with new generations through songs like “Matador” and “Mal Bicho.” After their successful and massive performances at the Vive Latino and Tecate Pa’l Norte festivals this year in Mexico, the band is continuing their tour across Latin America and the United States to celebrate their more than 40 years of career.
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“We’re 61 and still performing with an unusual vitality for us,” says Cianciarulo. “We have to be very grateful for that.”
The musician explains that the average age of the band members — including Vicentico (lead singer), Sergio Rotman (saxophone), Dany Lozano (trumpet), Nando Ricciardi (drums), and Mario Siperman (keyboards)— is 61, and they still “have the strength of a lion,” he notes. However, for several years now, Cianciarulo’s son Astor (bass and drums), and Vicentico’s son Florian (guitar), have officially been part of the band.
“The young ones who joined also have been around for a while, so they’re seasoned Cadillacs too, but less than us,” he jokes, before adding, “It’s clear to us that we have to be very thankful to the audience that has brought us this far.”
With a unique sound that fuses rock, ska, reggae, and punk, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs formed in Buenos Aires in 1984 and rose to international fame nearly a decade later with their album Vasos Vacíos (1993) and the song “Matador,” still their biggest hit to date. Led primarily by Vicentico and Sr. Flavio, the legendary group was included this year on Billboard’s list of the 50 Best Latin Rock Bands of All Time, ranking at No. 4. “Thank you very much to Billboard for the recognition,” Cianciarulo says with a smile.
Although they don’t have a constant or dominant presence on Billboard’s charts — their entries include a top 10 on Top Latin Pop Albums with La Luz del Ritmo in 2009 — they remain relevant with a massive impact. The band is currently promoting LFC Zócalo 3.6.2023, a double live album released in March by Sony Music that captures the historic free show they had at the Zócalo in Mexico City, which drew an audience of 300,000 people, setting a then-record. (This past March, Colombian superstar Shakira set a new record by attracting 400.000 people.)
“The first word that comes to mind about that night is ‘magical,’” says Cianciarulo, still moved by the experience. “To gather such a large crowd, under any circumstance, can get out of hand for anyone, and honestly, the first thing I want to highlight is the pride, respect and admiration I have for the Mexican people who, I insist, came to the concert, danced and sang, and left in the most peaceful way possible.”
The Zócalo is considered a symbolic and highly significant venue, a square filled with meaning where politics, social movements, culture, and religion converge. It is the second-largest public square in the world, only behind Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
“It’s a place full of energy,” the bassist and songwriter. “It’s incredible that this place, even before the world was the world, was already there, and because of that, it began to draw people. Before, it might have been the Olmecs, or the Chichimecas, or who knows who; then it was the Aztecs. I have no words to describe how important it is, and again, all humans gathered there for some kind of energetic, magnetic reason that surpasses all of us.”
As part of their 2026 tour, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs will spend April and May performing in Chile, Argentina, and Peru, before heading to the U.S. for a series of shows in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Jose, California. For dates and tickets, click here.
