Christian Nodal Brings Mariacheño to SXSW: 5 Best Moments From Billboard's Headlining Set

The Nodal complex is mighty – both in size and ability. He was accompanied by a string and horn mariachi piece – all dressed in gorgeous red costumes – along with a seven-piece band – dressed in more subtle black costumes – that included two percussionists, a singer and, of course, an accordionist.

Dressed in steel-toed boots, leather trousers, an embroidered waistcoat and cross necklace – plus his ever-present facial tattoos – Nodal embodies a modern-day rock star. He even takes a page from Post Malone's book and often lights a cigarette on stage, smoking it between verses and briefly disappearing into little clouds of smoke. And when the packed crowd shouts “Christian!» does what any rocker would do: punch beats the beat.

During 'Ayayay', Nodal throws his hat into the crowd like a frisbee as flares are lit on stage. The artist replaces his hat with another one, only this time it's a baseball cap that says “Nodal” – though he doesn't keep it long. He soon throws it out to the audience as well, only to replace it with the same traditional hat as before – and the cycle continues. Throughout the set, Nodal wears and gives away five of his own hats – not to mention the ones tossed on stage that he would sign and try on before handing them back. But of all the hats he bestowed, perhaps none deserved more than a little girl who made it to the front row on her parent's shoulders – all while Nodal waited patiently to place them on her head himself.

The most impressive part of Nodal's set is how well he juxtaposes different styles and rhythms, resulting in a seamless and endlessly engaging performance – from more uptempo cumbia tracks to his more downtempo ballads (as one fan said of Nodal: “The most sad boy in all of Texas.”) But despite the variety in his own catalog, Nodal also made sure to include well-chosen covers, from Selena's “Como La Flor” to Hombres G's “Devuélveme a mi chica.”

“Soy listo,” says Estevie, who returned to the stage for one of Nodal's final songs of the night. The pair duetted on Luis Miguel's “Sabor a Mí,” bringing the evening full circle. And judging by the enthusiastic response from the crowd, the moment proved that a recorded collaboration from the two would be warmly welcomed – and perhaps even inspire, or hint at, a future collaboration.