It’s early in October, and the members of Los Bukis are looking as sharp as ever in coordinated wine-colored suits and sleek black shirts, accessorized with matching gold necklaces and flashy belts that recall their glory days dominating radio in the Eighties and Nineties. Their agenda today? Announcing two more shows — and, judging by their tone, hinting that this could be the end of the group. At least for now.
“This is the closing of a cycle for Bukis that started with our reunion during the pandemic. We created an environment of harmony, brotherhood, something we didn’t have before. We discovered that our public never forgot us,” says Marco Antonio Solís, the group’s frontman and star vocalist. “The end of Bukis? I wouldn’t say that because the music lives on.”
Back in 2021, the band fronted by Marco Antonio reunited with all seven original members for the first time in 25 years. They sold out stadiums, a residency in Las Vegas, and even accepted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this summer. Now, Los Bukis will play two final shows to celebrate the reunion in February, playing in Houston on Valentine’s Day at the Astros’ Daikin Park, before a show in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium — where the reunion started — on Feb. 20.
“There are so many things happening in this country, and I think it’s a great moment for people to connect with their roots. Immigrants here miss this music. I think it’ll be a beautiful moment,” says Marco Antonio. “We’ll experience so many emotions reminiscing about those years. We are so excited about these shows.”
It’s clear that the end of the band is top of mind for each of the members, and they each respond to questions about this being a farewell with varying degrees of emotion. Some with hope that this is just a “for now” thing, others are pained to see it go.
Brother keyboardists Roberto and Pepe Guadarrama say they see what’s coming as a “long vacation,” but Roberto adds, “God puts us here and he’ll decide for us, but for now, a vacation.”
“Los Bukis, since it began, has been my life. So imagine when you find out your life is being taken from you,” says backing vocalist and guitarist Joel Solís, visibly emotional. “Why do I say more? Everything else I have to say, I’ll keep it here and here [points to his head and heart]. I have God with me. We will see what God has ready for us.”
Marco Antonio takes a more philosophical approach to his response about a farewell: “The end of something is when you forget something and move on from it — no one dies until we forget them or stop loving them. This is the same thing.”
Bassist Eusebio “El Chivo” Cortez is already thinking about the future. Before rejoining the band, Cortez says he was working side jobs as an Instacart and Uber driver when he got the call to come back. He had been balancing one-off performances with other groups, including Los Mismos (Los Bukis’ spinoff) and says he’s going to carry the band’s legacy in a new way.
“God has placed in my heart to teach young people how to play music,” he says. “I am also getting out my compositions in the forgotten cabinet, so I can start a ministry to teach young people how to play music. If it’s someone without resources, we’ll help them. If they do have resources, we’ll charge them an honorable amount. I want the legacy of Bukis to continue like this.”
Tickets for the shows are set to go on sale first for Citibank cardholders on Oct. 21 at 10 a.m. ET, before a second presale on Oct. 22, and the official onsale date on Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. local time. Fans will also be able to purchase different VIP access to the shows, including a meet and greet with the band, a behind-the-scenes tour, and access to a special lounge.
The announcement came as the band and Live Nation unveiled a retro-style mural painted by Hector Ponce of the band celebrating the final show at SoFi Stadium, which comes four years after they broke records there in 2021. The mural emulated a newspaper design with the masthead reading, “Su Majestad,” or “Your Majesty.”
“Everything has a beginning and end, and it’s now time to retire from this while we’re healthy,” says drummer Pedro Sánchez. “Our public never forgot us. The radio still plays our music as if it were the past. We may be doing things on our own, but the brotherhood will never end.”
