Musicians from all across Central America joined together Saturday night at Sabana Park. The concert represented the closing ceremony of Laura Chinchilla's inauguration day. And the bands -- which entertained with calypso, salsa, electronica, pop and rock music plus loads of violin -- indulged the tens of thousands fans in attendance on a chilly night in Sabana.

A night celebrating the start of a new presidency wouldn't be complete without politics. The never-bashful singer-songwriter Ramon Mejia (Perrozompopo) denounced gold-mining in Crucitas and asked for more help for Nicaraguan immigrants as chaos rages in Costa Rica's neighbors to the north. Rock group Malpa í s directed a message at Chinchilla about stopping illegal shark finning. Salsa star Rub é n Blades said the new government needs to do a better job protecting the environment.

The political messages all seemed well-received by a crowd of primarily-younger Ticos. The concert proved left-leaning music and Chinchilla's social conservative politics can co-exist, even if some concertgoers preferred one over the other.

"I don't have to support the president," said Juan Diego Castro, 17, of Desamparados. "But it seems to me the culture minister is very good because they promoted a truly great concert."

Rock band Malpai's pianist Manuel Obregón and violinist Iván Rodríguez serve as the minister and vice minister of culture, respectively, in Chinchilla's cabinet. They worked together to arrange the diverse concert. Perrozompopo and Malpaís, drew the bigger crowds. The two gave one of the most impressive performances of the night in a song that combined Perrozompopo's melodic vocals with the stellar violin of Malpa í s' Rodríguez.

Rising international star and Tico expat Debi Nova delighted in a shiny, skimpy silver dress, although technical difficulties made it near-impossible to hear or see the end of her set. Costa Rica's Editus demonstrated some fantastic violin playing. The group infused its music with techno beats and violin to create a catchy electronica groove.

The lineup

Artists performing included Panamanian Blades, Nicaraguan Mejia, Guillermo Anderson of Honduras, Pamela Robinson of El Salvador and Mr. Peters of Belize. Many of the bands played together on-stage. Mr. Peters kicked off the night with Costa Rica's Calypso Jazz Band. The salsa veteran – and former Panamanian tourism minister – Rubén Blades closed the show, backed by Editus and Son de Tikizia.

The Costa Rican group Gandhi - and impressive vocalists Iride Martinez and Humberto Vargas - also performed.

Click here for photos of the presidential inauguration.