Latino boy band gets warm Houston welcome
CNCO was prepared to meet, greet and hug about 200 fans Sunday afternoon at Macy’s in Memorial City Mall.
Instead, almost 700 girls showed up for a chance to meet the Latino boy band.
It’s a testament to the potent power of reality TV. CNCO was formed on hit Univision series “La Banda,” which scoured the country late last year for five camera-ready guys who could sing and dance. The pop-star boot camp narrowed the field to five guys: Christopher Vélez, Erick Brian Colón, Joel Pimentel, Richard Camacho and Zabdiel de Jesús.
The group’s debut album, “Primera Cita,” was released Friday and is currently at No. 1 on the iTunes Latino chart.
Fans began lining up early Sunday morning outside Macy’s. Originally, only the first 200 customers to spend $35 or more in the juniors department would get wristbands to meet the band. But organizers eventually handed them out to almost 700 fans. Fans also received a copy of “Primera Cita.”
The guys arrived after 2 p.m. and performed three songs, including “Tan facil” and “Quisiera.” The nonstop screams threatened to tear a hole in the ceiling. Cellphones and homemade signs were held high in the air.
Though CNCO has just been together a few months, each member already has intense fan stories.
“They wait outside of the airport, and that’s beautiful of them,” Camacho said. “We’re walking toward the car, we all get in. We see this fan, who passes the guards and gets all the way to the car. She starts kissing all of us and screaming.”
“She almost ate Richard,” Velez joked.
Auditions were held earlier this year in Houston for a second season of “La Banda,” which will feature boys and girls.
The show is executive produced by Simon Cowell and includes judges Ricky Martin, Laura Pausini and Alejandro Sanz.