Lali EspósitoBeck transformed the River stage into a pop reunion

It was not an official programming note, nor a carefully prearranged collaboration. It was an image that came to Lali Espósito while she was working in her office with her team: her on the River Plate stage alongside Tini Stoessel, “like the two brides”. The idea appeared before the concert, and the first obstacle was not artistic but logistical, because Stoessel was in the middle of her Futttura tour.

Espósito recounted that she did not know whether Stoessel was in Argentina or whether she could attend. Still, she decided to take the risk and write to both Tini and Marilina Bertoldi. The message was direct: she had an idea, and they could join her or she would never call them again. That is a considerably more colorful way to extend an invitation than the usual press release, where everything arrives polished, timed and apparently inevitable. Sometimes, however, the best stage material starts with a message sent from the office and an uncertainty that remains unresolved until the day of the show.

Stoessel’s answer came quickly. She considered the idea incredible and reorganized her schedule to arrive in Buenos Aires the day before the concert and rehearse with Espósito and Bertoldi. The meeting therefore required changes to the tour’s plans, not just a quick cameo between songs. The collaboration also included “1Amor” in the shared repertoire, so the appearance was not limited to a single nod to Madonna.

A Madonna song with an extra layer

The choice of “Like a Virgin” had a specific reason. Espósito and Stoessel will get married this year, so the image of two singers presenting themselves as “the two brides” acquired an additional meaning. Espósito said the joke prompted her reaction: “I have to be there.” The song connected the personal announcement with the concert’s visual idea and turned the performance into something more than a conventional duet.

“It was a joke about the two brides singing an iconic song. I thought: I have to be there.”Lali Espósito

Bertoldi was also part of the picture. Espósito described her as her favorite active Argentine rock artist and explained that she appeared in the image with her guitar, representing Argentine rock well. Her presence brought another register to the number: alongside two of the most visible figures in Argentine pop, the rock musician was not simply a guest name but part of the scene that Espósito wanted to represent.

For Espósito and Stoessel, the appearance marked their first time sharing a stage, despite their parallel careers in Argentine pop. Both had previously been presented as competitors, a dynamic that this performance seemed to put into a different perspective. Espósito reflected that she found it valuable to demonstrate that, in real life, artists are colleagues, get along and share music. The official story of pop often emphasizes rivalry and rankings; this River performance offered a more cooperative version of that relationship.

The concert took place at the Estadio Monumental, in Espósito’s final show at River Plate. Its program included established songs and the surprise collaboration with Stoessel and Bertoldi. The most striking moment was precisely the one that did not fit neatly into a preplanned agenda: an image imagined weeks earlier, a message sent without certainty, a schedule reorganized and three artists singing together for the first time. In a medium where everything is calculated to appear predestined, this one at least had the virtue of beginning with a risky idea.

• Lali Espósito imaginó la participación de Tini Stoessel y Marilina Bertoldi antes del(show de River Plate).
• Stoessel reorganizó su agenda de la gira Futttura para llegar a Buenos Aires y ensayar con las artistas.
• Las tres tierras interpretaron Madonna: “Like a Virgin” y“1Amor”