Eslabon Armado show at Crypto.Com Arena brings out sad paisas

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I’m finally 21, b!

Inside Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night, regional chart-topping Mexican band Eslabn Armado had just kicked off their biggest ever headlining show in Los Angeles.

Pedro Tovar, singer and songwriter behind Northern California Bands No. 1 single with Peso Pluma, Ella Baila Sola, proudly raised a red Solo Cup in her honor; the concert doubled as his birthday party, where almost 20,000 fans gathered to toast him for his first (legal) drink.

A mariachi band performed Las Maanitas while a brigade of young fans took the stage with large bouquets of red, blue, white and gold roses. Tovar’s mother and band manager, Nelly, tossed dozens of free shirts into the crowd with the stamina of a Dodgers ace pitcher.

Merchandise for sale outside of Crypto.com Arena.

(J. Emilio Flores / For De Los)

It’s like my quinceaera! Tovar exclaimed.

And yet, it was a headache of a night for fans of regional Mexican music in Los Angeles, many of whom had to choose between seeing Eslabn Armado and corridos tumbados act Fuerza Regida, which hosted its own rager at BMO Stadium. less than 10 mins. . Eslabn Armado fans, however, had no regrets.

It was an easy choice, said Stephanie, 21, who flew in from Maryland to watch the show with her cousin Jeanine. I’ve been following them since 2019. They capture every emotion for me whether you’re happy, drunk, sad, confused. They have everything.

The scene in the arena was a bombastic, jovial display of Mexican pride. Addressing the crowd endearingly as raza, Tovar along with his younger brother Brian on bass, Damian Pacheco on sharkto and Ulises Gonzlez on acoustic guitar soared between spirited banda numbers and nostalgic sierreo ballads. with the help of a brass and percussion ensemble, all dressed elegantly in silver blazers. Trombonist Joey Calderon fused the occasional jazz solo into the melodies like a carefree whisper.

But years before crowning the Billboard Global 200, Eslabn Armado cornered the sadwood (gender neutral) market with his 2020 record, Tu Veneno Mortal. Their melodrama crescendoed into subsequent albums Vibras de Noche and Corta Venas, an aptly titled collection of metaphorically speaking, wrist-slicing anthems that traversed topics of heartbreak, longing and accidents on social media.

Guest appearances by fellow sierreo sad artists Ivan Cornejo and Danny Lux bolstered the credibility of paisa emo bands on Saturday, wooing tattooed cowgirls in the crowd with songs like Jugaste y Sufr and La Curiosidad. Several couples around me took advantage of these moments to share steamy, drunken kisses in the shadows; floating on the backdrop was a red bleeding heart surrounding the band’s name.

Eslabn Armado delivering all the emotions on July 15.

(J. Emilio Flores / For De Los)

While other male artists perform songs touting the buchonas and high roller archetypes of the regional Mexican tradition, Eslabn Armado is, without a doubt, for lovers.

Next to the bar, I met Angel, 23, a die-hard fan who brought his girlfriend, Elen, to see the band for the first time. Although he was very excited to hear the 2020 song Con Tus Besos, she approached the show with a touch of skepticism. His opinion changed after Pedro spoke to the crowd about lifting his family out of poverty with the songs he wrote.

To be honest, I prefer older music, but I love how much it emphasizes the importance of family, Elen said. See [Pedro]his mother up there with him was nice. The family is the most important.

And at an Eslabn Armado show, I learned that everyone is family, in a way.

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Link Armando performs for his fans. (J. Emilio Flores / For De Los)

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Link Armando performs during a concert at the Crypto Arena. (J. Emily Flores / For De Los)

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Shawna Canseco and her daughter Aubree Morfin wait to enter the arena. (J. Emilio Flores / For De Los)

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Patricia Escobar (left) and her daughter Stephanie Escobar (right) approach the arena to enter the concert. (J. Emilio Flores / For De Los)

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From left to right: Milagros Sanchez, Yessica Sanchez, Leslie Aguirre and Savannah Ruiz (J. Emilio Flores / For De Los)

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Jackie Zarate (left) brought flowers to the concert. (J. Emilio Flores / For De Los)

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Eslabon Armando performs at the Crypto.com Arena. (J. Emilio Flores / For De Los)

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A hat vendor offers to the crowds waiting to enter the arena. (J. Emilio Flores / For De Los)

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I just love that we can all relate to Eslabon. It really hits home. I think that’s great. They broke my heart but it’s well said Itary Gomez. (J. Emilio Flores / For De Los)

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A crow poses in front of the arena. (J. Emilio Flores / For De Los)

Arriba las chicas borrachas las trabajadores los marijuanos! shouted Tovar. Whether it’s the drunken girls, the workers or the stoners, even the emotionally stunted txicos among us, as their song Soy Txico says, everyone can find a warm and welcoming home in their music.

It wasn’t cool being Hispanic when I was growing up, said Jocelyn Rivera, 23, who counted the Eslabn Armado show as her first regional Mexican gig. Back then, it was all about Justin Bieber. It’s amazing to see a band like this at Crypto, or like Bad Bunny at SoFi last year. I am very proud to have obtained so much recognition.

Fellow viewer Eddie Cruz, 27, agreed. “I’m just so excited to see these next generation regional bilingual Mexican artists expanding and transforming this genre,” he said.

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