It was inevitable that Mexican music would be represented with a Strip residency. The stars of banda, mariachi, norteño, Tejano and related subgenres have long found Las Vegas a welcoming environment. It’s particularly good timing for grupero gigante Los Bukis to have reunited in the wake of Vegas music venues upping their games to accommodate extended stays by the biggest acts from every major style of popular music.
Los Bukis was around for a quarter of a century before founding member Marco Antonio Solís went his own way in the mid-’90s. The bandleader carved out a successful career as a solo artist and songwriter for other singers as the rest of Los Bukis continued on under another name, but the appetite for the music of Los Bukis remained as constant over the years.
That music has its origins in early 1970s Michoacán, where Marco Antonio formed a band with cousin Joel Solís. Los Bukis released its debut album, Falso Amor, as a quartet in 1975, with Marco receiving sole credit as songwriter. By 1980, the band had moved to the U.S. and added flamboyant conga player José Javier Solís, providing Los Bukis with a third member who has remained with subsequent incarnations.
Los Bukis hit its stride in 1982 with the release of seventh studio album Yo Te Necesito, which garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Mexican-American performance. The lone composition not written by Marco Antonio, “Las Musiqueras,” was also the title of a film that starred the band, which would achieve cultural icon status during the decade.
The lush, romantic music of Los Bukis has been a constant presence in Spanish-speaking households on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border ever since. It crosses generations, marks occasions, provided the backdrop for countless first dates and quinceañeras, and has been on set lists for an inestimable amount of wedding receptions and school dances.
The band enjoyed 17 Top 10 Hot Latin hits and five No. 1s before its hiatus, but a post-pandemic reunion tour was wildly successful. Una Historia Cantada kicked off Aug. 27, 2021, at SoFi Stadium with a set list that included “Tu Carcel,” “Cómo Fui a Enamorarme de Ti,” “Y Ahora Te Vas” and “Quiéreme.” As far as fans were concerned, it was a musical miracle.
Now Los Bukis plans to make miracles at Park MGM’s Dolby Live, joining a roster of rotating talent that has included Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Mariah Carey and Maroon 5. Los Bukis has demonstrated the capability to fill nearby Allegiant Stadium, but Los Bukis: La Residencia enables audiences to return to Las Vegas for a more intimate affair in a 5,200-seat venue with a state-of-the-art sound system capable of capturing every nuance of Marco Antonio’s songs.
So far there are 15 dates, which could be followed by many more if the Los Bukis reunion becomes permanent for the time being. More regional Mexican acts will follow in Los Bukis’ footsteps, but for now Michoacan’s finest stands alone atop the headliner hill.
Dolby Live at Park MGM. ticketmaster.com
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