The first set of Los Bukis’ Dolby Live residency shows was an emotional affair for all involved. Sold-out concerts were populated by multiple generations of fans, many of whom used the proximity of the May dates to buy tickets as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts. Some could count Los Bukis music as the soundtrack to their earliest memories, others as triggers for reminiscing about adult romance. All were touched significantly by a band that began as a family affair.
Photo by: Denise Truscello
The much-celebrated reunion will be just as emotional at this week’s performances, as the mid-summer dates are reportedly the next to last set of shows Los Bukis will play in the United States (the final performances will be in September). Los Bukis: La Residencia Las Vegas was destined to be a three-chapter passage in the story of a musical legacy that began a half-century ago in Michoacán. Lead singer Marco Antonio Solis appears as part of the tour amidst a more extensive solo tour, but only in Las Vegas will the songs that launched him and Los Bukis to stardom be performed live.
The reunion has been well-conceived and orchestrated, capped by a June 24 announcement that Los Bukis would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a ceremony (date to be announced) that will also recognize Depeche Mode, The B-52’s, Green Day, The Isley Brothers, Busta Rhymes, George Strait, Keith Urban, War and Prince. Solis, who went solo in 1996, is as revered as any of the Walk of Fame artists Los Bukis is keeping company with and receives Prince-level adulation in Mexico.
He’s the romantic flipside to Prince’s eroticism though, consistently producing perfect candlelit dinner audio ambience through the years for the band, himself and other artists. It’s safe to say he was born into the life, having demonstrated singing talent at an early age and a knack for performing by the time he could stand on a makeshift stage. Being the fifth of seven children gave him an audience from the get-go, but it was a partnership with his cousin Joel Solis that led to Los Bukis being formed in the early ’70s.
Photo by: Eduardo Cardoza
Los Bukis (“The Kids”) released debut album Falso Amor in 1975 and had a jukebox hit with the title track. They blended Mexican music genres and pop music into their own grupero sound. Keyboards replaced violins, outfits reflected the height of ’70s fashion, and a cover of Morris Albert’s “Feelings” in Spanish telegraphed what was to come. The music of Los Bukis would evolve rapidly in terms of polished production, but it would always be sentimental and pull at the heartstrings.
Joel Solis and the rest of the members of Los Bukis carved their own legacy as Los Mismos after Marco Antonio went his own way, but by mutual agreement they did not try to re-create Los Bukis’ decades of hits in a live setting. They waited until the time was right to blend that onstage chemistry again, but the reignited flame could only burn for so long. Los Bukis is ending a legendary career with a final page, one illuminated by the soft glow generated by the love of their fans.
Park MGM. Ticketmaster.com
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