Accepting the 2025 Latin Grammy Award for “Best Traditional Tropical Music Album” for her hit “Raíces,” the legendary Gloria Estefan thanked her husband and collaborator Emilio Estefan by saying that their 50 years of making music together still felt “like the first day.”

The joyful, rejuvenating sentiment that animated the Miami Sound Machine co-founder expressed provided a perfect metaphor for the 26th annual Latin Grammy Award ceremonies, which rocked the MGM Grand Garden Arena on November 13th. After more than a quarter of a century, the Latin Grammy Awards still feel fresh and original, with a vitality that makes everyone get on their feet and dance, dream, and set their spirits free.

This was evident right from the get-go when the night’s honoree, Carlos Santana kicked off the program with his iconic hit “Oye Como Va,” and was joined on stage by contemporary Latin music superstars like the program’s cohost Maluma, along with Barrera and Nodal.
A dynamic blend of old and new, including the first performance at the Latin Grammy Awards by a country star, Kacey Musgraves, the 2025 ceremony highlighted the diverse energy of this irrepressible musical genre.

Helping to capture that transformative energy during the three-hour telecast of the program for 42 million Univision viewers was an elegant but potent Tom Kenny lighting design that featured 308 CHAUVET Professional fixtures supplied and installed by 4Wall Entertainment.

“Award shows like to show off the grandeur of a room — and the Latin Grammys have a grandfathered elegance to it all. A big video wall is essential, and the big beam looks give us a structure to show off,” said Kenny, who worked with LDs Felix Peralta, Fuji Convertino, and Joey Vineyard on the program, along with a hardworking crew headed up by Alex Flores and John Ellar, backed by a wonderful service by Bob Suchocki.

Kenny singled out the 134 Maverick MK3 Washes for pumping up a steady level of excitement throughout the program. “We used them for big audience looks,” he said. “They were the main workhorses for Fuji and Felix when creating their powerful looks.”

Underscoring the many high-intensity moments during the show were the rig’s 68 Color STRIKE M motorized strobe-washes. “We had the Color STRIKEs all over the rig for big power pushes and hits,” said Kenny, who also used the RGB pixel mappable panel section of the fixture to contribute to the immersive monochromatic color washes that transformed the stage at key moments.

Adding a geometric element to the stage that translated well for TV viewers were 106 COLORado PXL Battens. Kenny had 97 COLORado PXL Bar 16 units positioned on facias to emphasize a linear look. The remaining battens (nine COLORado PXL Curve 12 fixtures) were used in the background of the satellite stage.

“The PXL Curves worked very well on the satellite stage,” said Kenny. “Some of the more ‘artsy’ artists like Joaquina and Elena Rose took full advantage of their cool effects.”

Artists from the “artsy” camp gracing the stage, along with urban stars like Bad Bunny and Karol G, not to mention música Mexicana stars like Pepe Aguilar and Carín León? Yes, indeed! This program highlights the beautiful diversity of Latin music… and some artful lighting design by a talented team ensured that it was done in style.