It was an amazing Saturday night at the Toyota Arena in Ontario,CA. Banda MS, a Mexican band which was founded in 2003 in Mazatlán, Sinaloa celebrated its 20th anniversary with special guest singer Eden Munoz. Fifteen minutes before the show begun, the concert staff lifted a red giant Victorian-style curtain which covered Banda MS before their grand entrance. One minute before the show, everyone had their cellphones out on video mode, screaming and whistling at the top of their lungs. Finally the curtains dropped and fireworks burst in the air, and singers/brothers Alan Manuel Ramírez Salcido and Oswaldo Silvas Carreón along with 15 other band members graced the stage with great enthusiasm. A giant red-thorned heart appeared on the jumbotron as Alan Ramirez sang hit songs such as “Mi Olvido, "Tengo que Colgar" and “Tu Postura”.
In addition songs like "Solo con Verte" and "La Mejor Versión de Mi” had the audience emotional and waving their arms from side to side. Men were grabbing their women by the hand, up on their feet and reminiscing the night away. One of the highlights of the night was when they performed their hit song "El Mechon" and were joined onstage by an energetic woman who won the hearts on the crowd by the way she was grooving on stage. Since it was their 20th anniversary, many songs were sang from each of the 17 albums they released throughout the years. One memorable moment was when singer Oswaldo Silvas Carreón performed a romantic ballad melody of "Quien Pierde Mas” which had many women embracing their significant other.
As a tribute and paying homage to Mexican singers before them, Alan and Oswaldo serenaded the ladies with songs sang by the legendary Vicente Fernandez, Juan Gabriel and Marco Antonio Solis. To add to that, they also sang a song by the Kumbia Kings called “Sabes a chocolate.” Banda MS remarkably has a song with hip-hop artist Snoop Dog titled “Qué Maldición” -- folks were expecting Snoop to come out and perform, but instead a dog mascot danced on stage lip-syncing Snoop's lyrics.
With so many hit songs and music awards under their belts, there's no question that Banda MS is here to stay for a very long time. There is perhaps no group that has been more successful at popularizing traditional, brass-based Mexican Banda music than Banda MS. If you really want to have a great time, Banda MS will definitely make your night one to remember.
