Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Iconic Los Bukis looks like another hit at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas

Los Bukis

Courtesy Live Nation

Los Bukis at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on May 3, 2022, when the group announced new dates for the Una Historia Cantada tour, which visits Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on August 12.

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Fans wait for the start of a preseason soccer game between Real Madrid and Barcelona at Allegiant Stadium Saturday, July 23, 2022. Over 61,000 fans attended the match.

When legendary 46-year-old Mexican Grupera band Los Bukis announced an extension of its reunion stadium tour in May, it came as no surprise that Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas was on the shortlist. That concert arrives Friday, following the group’s two sellout shows at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles last summer and last month’s concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

In Las Vegas, where Los Bukis founding member Marco Antonio Solís routinely performs on the Strip each year during Mexican Independence Day celebrations in mid-September, the summer concert follows three spectacularly successful international soccer matches that exceeded sales expectations at Allegiant. The Chelsea Football Club defeated Club America on July 16, and then on July 22 and 23, AEG’s inaugural Soccer Champions Tour brought more globally renowned soccer squads to the home of the Las Vegas Raiders with Juventus vs. Guadalajara and Barcelona vs. Real Madrid.

“To be able to host six storied soccer clubs over the course of two weekends, it was just a great experience for the city as well as the stadium,” said Chris Wright, the venue’s general manager.

The music and sports events also are a significant demonstration of the venue’s ability to harness the city’s power as an international destination.

After opening during the pandemic, Allegiant Stadium’s first ticketed event was an electronic music concert by Illenium on July 3, 2021, quickly followed by a Garth Brooks concert the next weekend. But the stadium has already hosted a handful of major events with obvious appeal for international audiences, including last summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup Final soccer match and this April’s sold-out concert series of four shows from superstar Korean pop group BTS.

“Las Vegas is such an amazing international destination, and we can put on events and shows that match up to that and speak to every region of the world,” said Wright. “People love to come to Las Vegas, and we have to give them entertainment options that help attract even more folks to this city.”

Across the U.S., Allegiant Stadium is best-known as home field for the NFL’s Raiders. It was voted the top venue for game-day satisfaction in the league’s Voice of the Fan postseason survey, and it will host the Super Bowl in 2024. But around the world, the 65,000-seat venue is clearly building a reputation as a well-rounded live entertainment powerhouse, and that was always a big part of the stadium’s plans, according to officials.

“It’s certainly something the stadium authority [development group] recognized, that potential to help attract international audiences and events, and that’s been realized and experienced over the first full year of events,” Wright said, noting the stadium’s partnerships with Live Nation and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) that have brought such major events to town.

While announcing the Soccer Champions Tour earlier this year, AEG Senior Vice President Tom Braun said, “AEG is honored to kick off this tour in the iconic city of Las Vegas … [and] we look forward to expanding our relationship with the LVCVA and contributing to both the growth and popularity of North American soccer through additional marquee events like this in the future.”

Beyond concerts, Wright said the stadium would like to host rugby and boxing or other combat sports in the future, events that have not yet been scheduled at Allegiant. “If we can add those in the next year, that would be more diverse programming that certainly would draw an international audience.”