Banda, Chugs, and Pyro
Grupo Firme Brings La Ultima Peda To Charlotte
Grupo Firme has come a long way from its early years in Tijuana to become one of the biggest Banda bands in the world. What exactly is Banda music? To put it simply, it’s a genre of Regional Mexican music that focus on horns and percussion. A Banda show will have a host of musicians on stage with everything from tubas to accordions to a variety of drums and of course guitars. In just a decade, Grupo Firme has gone from being a local Tijuana band to a Grammy Award-winning world-class Banda band selling out shows all over the world. After taking a break in 2023, Grupo Firme is back with their explosive live show bringing La Ultima Peda Tour to arenas all over the United States.
Now, I will admit I am fairly new to the Latin music scene and I have never been to a Banda show before. But, I saw the tour trailer for La Ultima Peda Tour and it looked spectacular so I decided to check it out and let me tell you that the live show is even bigger and better than the video teaser for the tour. In fact, this was the show of the season and it exceeded my expectations in every way.
Before I headed into the show, I decided to look up the word Peda as I was unfamiliar with the term, my Spanish limited to 2 semesters that was required by my university. After reading over a bunch of different options, I’m opting to go with the slang translation where Peda roughly translates to a drinking party. Little did I know, this was probably the most accurate tour name I have ever heard. More on that later.
As fans were still making their way into the ampitheater, the tour featured a short DJ set to hype up the crowd followed by a short set by Grupo Firme’s backing band. There were so many musicians on the stage it was hard to keep track of them all, but they sounded amazing. The live sounds of brass instruments with a solid percussive background filled the PNC Music Pavilion as the crowd began partying early on.
After a short break, it was time for the main event, La Ultima Peda, and wow is all I can say. The venue lights dimmed and the LED screen at the rear of the stage lit up to reveal a huge moon that had the tour name plastered across it. You could see an elaborate stage set up with risers and staircases to accommodate the musicians who would soon be making their way out onto the stage.
The evening was hot but the crowd was hotter. Fans were hyped up for the show and ready to have a good time. There were a slew of cowboy boots and hats, some dressed casually in jeans but others dressed to the nines in elegant evening wear. Most had an adult beverage of some kind in their hand and were ready to let loose to their favorite bands. Shouts of “Grupo! Grupo!” could be heard and shortly it was showtime.
The stage was dark, but you could see the silhouettes of the various musicians in their respective spots. The screen at the back was lit up with a blue moon and as the music began, singer Eduin Caz made an appearance on a rising platform amid a ton of smoke. After singing from the platform, Caz made his way up front and the fiesta was in full force. Musicians were literally everywhere playing with amazing technique and showmanship. The sweet sounds of Banda filled the air as the crowd sang along.
Along with the stellar musicianship and fun-filled music, the production on La Ultima Peda was hands down the best I’ve ever seen. This show had it all! Accompanying the musicians on stage, there was a host of dancers who appeared in everything from gorgeous, colorful flamenco dresses to military gear throughout the night.
Now, I have to say that as a rock fan, I have seen my fair share of cryo cannons, smoke plumes, and various forms of pyro in my decades of attending live concerts. Never have I seen the amount that Grupo Firme brought on tour. The pyro was firing off in huge plumes at the rear of the stage, puffing clouds of fire into the air, cryo cannons were shooting plumes of fog across the front of the stage, sparkler-style fireworks surrounded the rear stage, as varied lighting dazzled across the venue accompanied by a fantastic laser light show. I thought Slayer and Disturbed had a lot of pyro. They’ve got nothing on Grupo Firme. La Ultima Peda brought one of the biggest productions I have ever seen and it constantly changed throughout the show. Kudos to their production team. This was top-notch in every way.
People were dancing everywhere. Ladies were dancing at their seats, couples were dancing in the aisles and everyone was having a great night as Caz led Grupo Firme through an action-packed set including hits “El Roto” and “Ya Superame.” One thing for sure is every single person in attendance was enjoying this one-of-a-kind night of music and dance.
It’s said that music is a universal language and that is true. One doesn’t need to speak the native language to get an understanding of what’s going on in a song and to enjoy it. Grupo Firme also taught me something else on this night and that the word chug is also universal. This is where the Peda of La Ultima Peda comes into play. Remember that Peda means drinking party and this show turned into one of the biggest drinking parties I have ever seen. It started out slowly with Caz grabbing a bottle as the rest of his bandmates and most of the crowd shouted “Chug! Chug! Chug!” as he willing obliged. As the show went on, the tequila and other spirits flowed freely and the chugs came more and more frequent. Most of the band was partaking as as guests came out to sing with the band, they too were obligated to chug away. At one point, a seemingly unwilling but laughing and smiling crew member was brought out to chug, spilling quite a bit of the precious liquid down the front of his shirt. Even that wasn’t enough for Caz and crew as they continued the partying on stage throughout the night even tossing a bottle of tequila into the audience down front. Security was none too pleased as that bottle was passed around, fans taking a chug and passing it down the line.
Earlier I mentioned that La Ultima Peda was my first Banda show. That was probably a mistake on my part as Grupo Firme set the bar so high that every other show is bound to be somewhat of a disappointment in comparison. Bravo Grupo Firme! La Ultima Peda was simply spectacular!
The band has tour dates running into early November. DO NOT miss your chance to see La Ultima Peda when Grupo Firme brings the party to your town. This is definitely the tour of the year and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
See the Full Gallery of the Night Here!
If you captured any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see.
Tour Dates:
Sat Jul 13 Milwaukee, WI American Family Insurance Amphitheater
Fri Jul 19 Tinley Park, IL Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Sat Jul 27 Kansas City, MO T-Mobile Center
Fri Aug 02 Austin, TX Moody Center
Sat Aug 10 Edinburg, TX Bert Ogden Arena
Sat Aug 17 El Paso, TX UTEP Don Haskins Center
Fri Aug 23 Denver, CO Ball Arena
Sun Aug 25 Salt Lake City, UT Delta Center
Sat Aug 31 Sacramento, CA Golden 1 Center
Sat Sep 07 Las Vegas, NV T-Mobile Arena
Fri Sep 13 Fresno, CA Save Mart Center at Fresno State
Fri Sep 20 Ridgefield, WA RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
Sat Sep 21 Seattle, WA Climate Pledge Arena
Sat Sep 28 Chula Vista, CA North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sat Oct 05 San Jose, CA SAP Center
Fri Oct 11 Highland, CA Yaamava’ Theater at Yaamava’ Resort & Casino
Sun Oct 13 Oakland, CA Oakland Arena
Fri Oct 18 Palm Desert, CA Acrisure Arena
Sat Oct 19 Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
Thu Oct 24 Oklahoma City, OK Paycom Center
Sat Oct 26 Dallas, TX Dos Equis Pavilion
Sat Nov 02 Los Angeles, CA BMO Stadium
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