Dancing and Drinking the Night Away With Grupo Firme

“It’s Peda Time!!!”

Launching a 32-date tour spread across the US isn’t easy for any band. For Grupo Firme, their opening acts Siempre Firme and DJ Moyo, and their choice to bring the music of Mexico, it could be downright treacherous. With promises to have shots every song, the La Ultima Peda tour has more booze than a mid-80s Metallica rider, and a lot more band members to pass it around.

An early thanks to my wife Angelica for helping to take notes and transcribe the words from the artists. With my weak Spanish skill set, I relied on her to fully understand the words. Rest assured though; the spice of the music flowed freely through everyone.

While Ticketmaster listed an 8 pm start time, DJ Moyo was spinning an impeccable mix of Hispanic/Latin music from the time the doors opened.

As little of the sold-out arena would show up early, he played to a largely vacant room, but he kept the energy building the whole time. With a strong Mexican presence turning out, he had people dancing from front to back.

Opening the musician aspect of the evening was Siempre Firme. Officially the backing band for Grupo Firme, they used the start of their set to rehearse a medley of the music the audience should be expecting.

With vocals missing the mark at the beginning, it sounded more like a private sound check than anything. As they got in tune with the sound engineers, their vocalist was asking for Mexican screams, and with the audience now taking a lot more notice, they got them back in spades.

With couples and single ladies dancing all over the arena, the Quebradita style music was hitting a great assortment of Mexican drinking and dancing classics. Now looking packed, they turned their attention to getting the audience to participate.

Hyping the audience up, they turned a red-hot crowd back over to DJ Moyo to take a quick 10 minutes before starting the Grupo Firme. A surprising flashlight challenge with DJ Moyo with screams of “Grupo Firme!!” he promised that the louder they were the faster the band would appear.

Taking the stage as a video montage played from their hit songs, a voice came over the speakers telling everyone “Get ready for your last Peda!!” or drunk party. With lead singer Eduin Caz now on screen saying “The last one? Nah, we are just getting started.”

Kicking the songs off with his latest single “El Beneficio de la Duda,” Eduin emerged from under the stage. Even though the video dropped just a week prior, nearly the whole arena was singing back at him.

Flanked by ladies wearing traditional Mexican dresses designed like various Hispanic/Latin countries, he moved right into the romantic chart-topper “Pideme.” Making use of the backdrop screen, they flashed various images, including some of the most realistic Moon footage I’ve seen at a concert.

Announcing that this was their first sold-out event in Tampa, Eduin shared how excited they were to be playing in Tampa. Expressing that excitement in various ways, the band didn’t limit themselves to original songs.

Covers of “Aca Entre Nos” originally by Vicente Fernandez, “Mi Mayor Anhelo” by Banda MS, and “Basta Ya” by Olga Tañon, were done beautifully. Joined by special guest Hernan Sepulveda, Eduin let Hernan take over most of the vocals which fit his voice perfectly.

Calls for “Shots!! Shots!! Shots!!” rang out across the area for most of the second half of the show as the band started making more frequent use of the bartender on stage.

Following suit, the audience was grabbing beers and mixed drinks two at a time. This went from a simple party to a full-on Peda by this point, and with a small break, the band was suddenly rising from a second platform near the back of the arena.

Catching hats, phones, sunglasses, and even a bra, Eduin and the band made everyone feel at home. Shining a special light on his co-vocalist Jhonny who is openly gay, they told the audience that this was a show of love.

Wrapping up around 11:30 pm, Eduin ended the show with “Ya Superame,” another of their most popular songs. A fitting way to cap off the evening, this was a tour that had something for everyone.

Showcasing the love between Hispanic/Latin cultures, Grupo Firme truly brought everyone together for this Peda. One of the best concerts I’ve been to in a long time, even the exceptionally drunk were loving everyone, not fighting.