politics
February 22, 2026
EL COLOMBIANO Narrated in 1985 the Night Willie Colón Ended Up in Jail in Medellín
Metal chairs flying like projectiles. Lamps shot into the void. Blows, stones, chaos, and terror. The night of September 5, 1985,...
TL;DR
- A Willie Colón concert in Medellín on September 5, 1985, was abandoned due to the artist's no-show.
- Frustrated attendees caused significant destruction at the Iván de Bedout Coliseum.
- Willie Colón and his orchestra were arrested and detained for approximately 20 hours.
- The official report cited nearly five million pesos in damages to furniture and equipment.
- Colón and his band blamed the promoters for contractual breaches.
- Willie Colón later turned the experience of his arrest into the song "Especial N.° 5", which humorously and critically recounts the events.