Banda Sinolaense MS de Sergio Lizárraga, or Banda MS, made history Friday (Feb. 14) night performing the first of their two back-to-back sold-out shows at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
No other banda act since the late "Diva de la Banda" Jenni Rivera had headlined a concert at the venue, and no other banda from Mazatlan, Mexico, had ever performed at Staples Center. The dry spell was broken when the chart-topping band jumped on stage where they serenaded concert-goers on Valentine's Day.
"We start the night with this sold-out at this very important place," vocalist Oswaldo Silvas told the crowd. "A few days ago we lived one of the saddest and most tragic stories of Los Angeles. Tonight, we're in the house of a man who loved the Latino community and the Latino community loved him. We're in his house and with all respect and admiration to all the family of Kobe Bryant and Gigi Bryant. We're the first Latino act to perform at the Staples Center since Kobe's passing, so this is in his honor."
Silvas then asked fans to dedicate a one-minute applause to the former Los Angeles Lakers and his daughter, who lost their lives in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26.
Following the heartfelt homage, Silvas and also vocalist Alan Ramírez belted out love anthems like "Solo con Verte," "Hermosa Experiencia" and "El Color de Tus Ojos," along with heartbreak songs like "Mi Olvido," "A lo Mejor," "No Me Pidas Perdón" and "Por Este Amor" during their nearly three-hour set.
Joining Silvas and Ramírez were the thousands of fans who sang along to every song throughout the entire show. At times, it was just the fans who carried the song, creating a chilling effect that visually moved the members of the Sinaloan band.
"You all sing better than us," the group declared.
Nearing the end of the show, Banda MS still had a few surprises in store, such as shifting the stage toward the middle of the venue where they played encore performances of a few of their songs. They also brought out Los Dos de la S to perform "Somos los que Somos."
And for norteño fans, Banda MS performed accordion-led classics like "Eslabón por Eslabón" and "Tragos Amargos." Then, mariachi Sol de México joined the band on stage to perform some of the classics, including "Volver, Volver," "El Rey," "Acá Entre Nos" and "Me Cansé de Rogarle,"
They're back for round two Saturday night. Their history-making shows at Staples are a preview of what's in store for Coachella festival-goers, where Banda MS will go down in history as the first banda from Sinaloa, Mexico, to take the stage at one of the most important U.S. festivals.
"You are part of this history-making moment. You are the ones that make all of this happen," Silvas told fans.
