With a backdrop of fireworks and standing ovations from start to finish, Mexican banda Fuerza Regida made its debut at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles in front of thousands of fans that filled the home of LAFC.
The event lived up to the expectations of the band’s lead singer, Jesús Ortiz Paz, better known as JOP, who proclaimed several times throughout the night that ‘this wasn’t a concert but a drunken party.”
The flowing beer and tequila did lead to some fights between concertgoers, and the stadium’s security kept up a steady pace of escorting both men and women from the arena for disorderly conduct.
The show lasted a little over two hours and 30 minutes and Fuerza Regida kept the mood as high as the temperatures on this warm Los Angeles evening with songs such as “Radicamos en South Central,” “Sigo chambeando,” “Igualito a mi apá,” “En la radio hay un cochinero,” “Sabor fresa,” “Dijeron que no la iba a lograr” (a dueto con Chino Pacas), “TQM,” “Ch y la pizza,” “El muchacho alegre,” “Mi gusto es”, “Bebe dame,” “Desvelado” and more.
The “Otra Peda 2023” tour started last weekend with a sold-out show in Dallas, and the good vibes continued through the show in Los Angeles, but things changed after members of the band were reportedly detained by police. JOP, Chino Pacas and members of the Calle 24 band were handcuffed and detained on a weapons charge, according to reporter Angelina Chamonic. The incident was also captured on video and uploaded to social media platforms Instagram and TikTok.
According to reports, LAPD officers were trying to control traffic between Hawthorne and La Brea avenues in Hollywood in the early-morning hours Sunday when they observed an individual with a gun in one of the cars they’d stopped, causing the officers to draw their weapons.
Chino Pacas also uploaded a video to his Instagram account showing him being handcuffed while up against a police car.
Lawyers for the band confirmed that the group was detained but that they were let go after two hours and there was no arrest or charges.
Tras disfrutar de un lleno total en el estadio del LAFC y vivir grandes momentos musicales, el vocalista Jesús Ortiz Paz, el cantante Chino Pacas y algunos integrantes de Calle 24 fueron detenidos por la policía en Hollywood
Hours before the incident, the concert was highlighted not just by the energy that the band brought to BMO Stadium, but also by a look back to the start of Fuerza Regida. A video montage showed JOP as a barber before joining the band six years ago. The video also showed images of JOP attending an audition to join the band, which at the time was looking for a bass player.
Six years later, JOP is the lead singer of the band and has positioned himself as the heart of one of the leaders of the resurgent banda movement. The band has received millions of views on YouTube and has topped the charts in Mexico and the U.S.
Fans traveled from all over California to get a glimpse of the band.
Juan and Marilynn Diaz drove the two hours from the Imperial Valley to Los Angeles. Juan Diaz works as a farmworker and mentioned that he listens to Fuerza Regida while managing the water distribution to various crops.
“My wife bought us these tickets for Father’s Day and we are here to celebrate,” Diaz said. It’s a dream to be here. We planned this out really well. We are staying in town after the show. We knew we wanted to do this since they announced the tour.”
Tania Alcantar was dropped off at the show by a friend who drove her up from San Diego. She ended up attending the show by herself after her friend decided against spending the high prices for the tickets.
“I’ve been a fan for five years so it doesn’t matter to me to come alone,” Alcantar said. “I don’t have a lot of friends so I always go to shows by myself. I always have a great time.”
The prices were indeed high on the resale market. Online ticket brokers were charging more than $700 per ticket. One fan who was too embarrassed by the high price he paid for the show and didn’t give his name said he bought two tickets outside the venue for $1,500. Although he did insist it was money well spent for this “drunken evening of music.”
Tommy Calle was born in Peru and raised in Venezuela. He studied Communications of the Universidad Central de Venezuela. He is currently the entertainment editor for L.A. Times en Español.
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