For most kids, seeing their favorite band live is the dream. For eight-year-old Thomas Russo, that dream went several steps further. At Maná’s record-breaking concert at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, one of the landmark stops of their Vivir Sin Aire tour, the young musician was invited to walk onstage in front of 17,000 fans and play guitar on “Clavado en un Bar,” the 1997 hit that catapulted the Mexican rock icons onto the global scene.
Imagine being eight years old, knowing every lyric and guitar break, and suddenly finding yourself trading riffs with Sergio Vallín while Fher Olvera leads tens of thousands of voices through one of Latin rock’s most enduring anthems. That was Thomas’ reality: a fan moment charged with adrenaline, musicianship, and the kind of emotional electricity that can only happen in a room full of angelinos who love to rock.
THE POWER OF SPANISH ROCK IN ACTION
The moment captured in a video now circulating widely among fans, unfolded just days before the band announced the extension of the Vivir Sin Aire tour into 2026. And while Maná are no strangers to bringing fans onstage, this one struck a deeper chord. Sharing the spotlight with an eight-year-old underscored a message the band has always championed: music builds its own community beyond languages, borders and generations.
Thom’s father, 18-time Grammy and Latin Grammy-winning producer Thom Russo, described the moment with a mixture of awe and gratitude:
“It’s an inexpressible feeling on so many levels; of course the pride of being a father and watching my son perform at this level with an iconic, legendary band like Maná (who are dear friends) and then in an iconic, legendary venue like the Kia Forum—AND witnessing him being able to share his gift of music, one of the highest gifts that can be given, to so many people (17,000!) filling them with joy… I can’t imagine a higher feeling.”
Eight-year-old Thomas Russo, who stepped into the spotlight with natural confidence, is the son of Thom Russo and acclaimed actress Alanna Ubach, and has grown up surrounded by artistry and the Latin American cultural tradition that shaped his family. For Ubach, the moment carried profound cultural significance:
“The feeling of pride and elation for him is incomparable, but also it’s incredible for what this means for our family… and for the Latino community here in the United States, exposing how multigenerational it is. My parents were both Latino immigrants (Mexican and Puerto Rican), I was born here in the US, and now my son… but all of us, US Latin American. And now Thomas plays with the biggest Latino band in the world, who also rose to fame here in the US first; this all just shows how truly important the Latino culture is to this country, and this country is to Latinos!”
MANÁ WILL CONTINUE TO REDEFINE LA’S MUSIC HISTORY IN 2026
As Maná prepares to expand their Vivir Sin Aire tour into 2026, this unforgettable moment at the Forum feels like a fitting prologue to the next chapter. Tickets for the newly announced dates go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. with the general onsale beginning 12/05/2025 at 10:00 AM EST. Fans can visit Ticketmaster to secure their place in what promises to be another historic run by the band that now holds the record for the most arena shows in Los Angeles, proof that Latin acts are redefining the global music industry.
Photo credit: Andy Keilen
