Mexican music star Peso Pluma played the fourth date on his Doble P Tour, presented by Live Nation, on the unlikely stage of the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida. It’s an unlikely stop because Sunrise, nearly an hour north of Miami, is not known as a bastion of Latin music — and the FLA Live Arena is more likely to host country and rock than it is Latin, much less Mexican music.
That was not a problem for Peso Pluma. Riding high off a string of hits — he currently has an astounding nine singles on the Billboard Hot 100 — he played to a crowd of over 11,000. The audience was remarkable for being predominantly Mexican and for its broad age range: There was an abundance of young parents with children under 10 years old.
Here are five notable takeaways from Saturday night’s (June 24) show.
1. The man and the band: The name Peso Pluma and the term “urban” are often used in the same sentence. Don’t be confused. There may be commonalities in the swagger and the outfits, but none in the music. Peso Pluma is a dynamic frontman who sings his heart out, fully live, backed by an energetic, tireless seven-piece live band made up of two guitars, an upright bass, two tubas and one trombone, with all members dressed in black and sporting black sunglasses for a futuristic look. There are no dancers or fancy pyrotechnics. It’s the man and his band, and it’s Mexican to the core, sonically bearing little resemblance to anything else in the market.
2. Spiderman: Spiders are the symbol of Peso’s album, and the spider motif was present throughout the show. And then, there’s Spiderman. For those who harbored any doubts about Peso’s fandom for El Peter Parker, he donned his Spiderman mask midway through the show.
3. The friends: Peso introduced his compa Jasiel Núnez early in the show for two songs, including their “Rosa Pastel.” But beyond that pairing, Peso was generous in calling out the many friends who’ve helped him along the way, including his “hermana” Becky G and his compa Luis R. Conríquez. Of the latter, he said: “He was the first to give me a duet, when duets were scarce. We need to stick together. That’s why us Spanish speakers are dominating now.”
4. The kids: Were it not for the time of day, one might have mistaken this for a family show. There was a notable number of children in attendance, ranging from those clearly under 10 years old and sitting on their fathers’ shoulders to those who were slightly older, who sang every word to every song with gusto.
5. The chatter: Peso loves to talk — albeit judiciously — between songs. That’s a good thing, because he’s wildly entertaining and informative. And he’s promised that his next Miami stop will be at a stadium.
