Grupo Frontera
Jugando A Que No Pasa Nada Tour
Toyota Center
August 10, 2024
Over last few years, the music streaming app Spotify has been my primary source for listening to music. At the end of each year, they release a personalized playlist entitled “Wrapped,” which is specific to each user, listing their most played artists throughout the year. My “Wrapped” playlist has traditionally consisted of Jay Z, Kanye West, UGK, and Los Tigres Del Norte.
And then, in 2022, Grupo Frontera from Edinburg, Texas released a song entitled “No Se Va,” changing the dynamic of all of my Spotify playlists since:
Liked Songs: Grupo Frontera
On Repeat: Grupo Frontera
Uniquely Yours: Grupo Frontera
And so on. And it’s not just me. Frontera can be heard on the radio, on Tik Tok, on Univision television, on the street when the slammed Chevy Silverado that cruises around my neighborhood passes by my front door. The mix of cumbia, Tejano, and country music, accompanied by catchy hooks and features with Bad Bunny, Fuerza Regida, Carin Leon, and more have catapulted the band into the top tier of Regional Mexican music.
Saturday night, Grupo Frontera made a tour stop at Toyota Center, and Houston packed the house, ready to dance and sing the night away. Technical difficulties with lead singer Payo’s microphone caused the band to cut the opening track “F*cking Amor” short, but as conga player Julian Peña Jr. stalled for time, he reminded the crowd about a show the band had at Rodeo Disco here in Houston, and how they have come a long way since then. From selling out a night clubs to selling out an arenas in only a couple of years, their success really is extraordinary.
With the microphone situation fixed, lead singer Payo continued with “Di Que Si,” “Los Dos” and “Quedate Bebe.” He is the youngest of the crew, just recently turning 21. He smiled wide and waved at his fans, acknowledging everyone from the front row to the higher level seats. “Oh man, this is going to be on Tik Tok tomorrow” he said with a laugh.
The stage consisted of several platforms, two of which held up Chevy C-10 truck beds for the drum kit and the percussion players, one on each side. The LED wall behind the band displayed desert scenery, with cacti and tumbleweeds and canyons all around. The Tamaulipas, Mexico license plates of the trucks read “6RUPO” and “FRONT3RA,” solidifying the close relationship between South Texas and Northern Mexico.
The band sang several covers ranging from “Tragos Amargos” by Ramon Ayala to “Desvelado” by Bobby Pulido, which caused the loudest singalong from the crowd. Just as Peso Pluma anointed himself as the evolution of corrido music, I belive Grupo Frontera is the evolution of Tejano music. I was a teenager in the ’90s during the peak of Tejano music, which is a big reason why I’m such a huge fan of Frontera.
The band waved goodbye, and the video screens played a skit filmed with Mexican comedic actor Eugenio Derbez. It was full of inside jokes and double entendres, with the main message being that an encore was necessary to close out the show with a bang.
The night ended with their some of their most famous hits, “No Se Va,” “Que Vuelvas,” “Amor De Su Vida” and of course “Un X100to.” It made this Tejano music fan muy happy.
Later this year, my niece Rose Marie will be celebrating her quinceañera, and one of the things I’m looking forward to the most is dancing to Grupo Frontera songs that night. Until then, Grupo Frontera will still be on at the top of all of my playlists.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
