Is This The Most Exclusive Concert Series?

Forbes

20-05-2025

Imagine this is your concert setting.
This spring, the headlines have been loud with concert series. Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour is still echoing through stadiums. Katy Perry is hitting the road surrounded by LED orbs and airbrushed perfection. Even Coachella managed to one-up itself with surprise appearances. Live music, it seems, is in a race to see who can dazzle the most people at once.
But what about the concert series that isn't on Ticketmaster, has no merch tables, and no nosebleed seats? No seats at all, actually. Just a handful of guests—30, to be exact—gathered around a bonfire, a pool, or a living room, listening to music not as background noise, but as the main event. If there's a velvet rope, it's woven from palm fronds and sea breeze.
Welcome to Naviva Unplugged, a concert series so exclusive that most people will never know it happened. That's part of the charm.
Held at Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort in Punta Mita, Mexico, the series takes everything you think you know about live music and shrinks it down to its most luxurious, elemental form. With just 15 ocean-view tents in the jungle, the entire resort hosts no more than 30 guests at a time. Add in top-tier musical talent, chef-curated dinners, and a setting where the loudest sound is the surf, and you get a kind of concert experience that feels almost mythic.
The inaugural Naviva Unplugged lineup reads like a carefully curated soul, story, and Americana playlist. On May 10, Shooter Jennings—the GRAMMY-winning son of country royalty—brought his outlaw spirit to the edge of the Pacific. On May 24, singer-songwriter Marc Scibilia will perform a set of emotionally raw, genre-blurring songs beside a bonfire on La Solana Beach. June features multi-platinum country artist Lee Brice and a special appearance by Jessica Betts, joined by her wife, Emmy Award-winning actress Niecy Nash. Their personal connection to the resort (they've rung in the New Year here more than once) makes the performance all the more intimate.
And that's just the beginning. Pianist and powerhouse Louis B. Middleton performs in July, followed by a surprise guest on December 11—only teased as "one of country music's brightest stars." Wrapping up the year is Joy Oladokun, whose thoughtful, genre-defying lyrics will likely blend right into the ocean breeze.
But the music is only part of the magic. Chef Sofía Mojica brings her no-menu culinary philosophy to each performance day, creating custom dishes inspired by the artist's heritage and personal favorites. Maybe it's a reimagined Southern classic to honor Shooter Jennings, or an agave-glazed dish that nods to Betts' own palate. It's less dinner-and-a-show and more sensory immersion. Guests don't just hear the music—they taste its roots.
'Music has been part of Naviva from day one - we're constantly surrounded by nature's soundtrack and the spontaneous melodies from our guests and visiting artists,' says Eduardo Sampere, Resort Manager, Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort. 'Naviva Unplugged is a natural extension of what's already happening here. Many of the celebrated musicians who stay with us express how inspiring our setting is, reminding them of their early days performing in intimate venues.'
He added, 'These sessions give our guests the rare chance to experience world-class talent in a setting that takes the artists back to their roots - unfiltered, personal connections with their audience.'
A portion of proceeds from each performance supports the artist's chosen charity, so the experience reverberates far beyond the resort.
Naviva's ethos is built on connection to self, nature, and music. There are no room keys, check-in counters, or mass-produced experiences. Spa rituals are personalized, meals evolve based on the moment, and daily programming might include a temazcal ceremony, an impromptu hike, or a guided tasting of rare raicilla. In this world, Naviva Unplugged feels less like an "event" and more like an inevitable extension of the setting.
While the rest of the world chases bigger, louder, and glossier, Naviva offers something that can't be streamed or scaled: a return to music as it was meant to be—unplugged, unfiltered, unforgettable.
So is it the most exclusive concert series on the planet? Maybe. But more than that, it might just be the most meaningful.