From the Bordertown to the 305: Grupo Frontera Brings Norteño Magic to Miami Show

Grupo Frontera’s El Comienzo Tour made a stop in Miami on Sunday night (Oct. 15), where the group performed to a sold-out crowd of nearly 5,000 at the James L. Knight Center — a remarkable contrast to the band’s quinceañera and nightclub presentations less than two years ago. 

As the theater began to fill with people of all ages — the majority wearing cowboy boots and tejana hats — opening act Milla 22 took center stage to pump up the crowd, followed by ambiance music that included Grupo Firme, Bad Bunny, Elvis Crespo and Eslabon Armado, to name a few. 

Sharply at 9 p.m., the lights dimmed and an intro video rolled on the screen, showing each Frontera member’s life before becoming famous, some working at the ranch, others gambling, some having a side photography gig. “We must never lose faith,” said founding member and accordionist Juan Javier Cantú in the clip. “We are very excited to sing in front of so many people and we are ready with our hearts in our hands.”

Soon after, the sextext — accompanied by four other musicians — kicked off the night with its viral TikTok hit — and the one that ultimately put them on the map — “No Se Va.” 

At all times, the band had the crowd chanting and dancing along to songs such as “Di Que Si,” “Le Va Doler,” “En Altavoz,” “Frágil” and “La Ladrona,” one of Grupo Frontera’s earlier career covers of Diego Verdaguer’s 1981 hit. 

The night’s biggest highlight, however, was when Frontera paid tribute to the Tejano and Norteño music pioneers who paved the way for them, performing their own versions of Selena Quintanilla’s “Como La Flor” and Ramon Ayala’s “Te Voy a Esperar,” for example. 

In between songs, percussionist and animator Julian Peña Jr. and vocalist Adelaido “Payo” Solis III talked about a failed relationship and a girl who broke their heart, which set the mood for the last set of songs from the concert: “Ojitos Rojos,” “un x100to,” “El Amor De Su Vida,” “De Lunes a Lunes,” “911,” “Tulum” and “Que Vuelvas,” before wrapping up with an encore of “No Se Va.”

At the end of the concert, Peña Jr. also gave a special shoutout to Latin Grammy-winning producer Edgar Barrera for believing, supporting and propelling Grupo Frontera. 

El Comienzo Tour, which kicked off in April and will wrap in November, is in support of Frontera’s debut studio album of the same name that peaked No. 2 on Regional Mexican Albums chart, and No. 4 on the Top Latin Albums chart.

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