L.A. Azules to perform in Ontario and Inglewood
Tickets for group’s 40th anniversary tour will go on sale on Thursday
Hips will be shaking again as Mexico’s Los Angeles Azules hit the road for the band’s “40 Años” (40 years) tour, which is scheduled to make stops in Inglewood in September and Ontario in November.
Early bird tickets go on sale Thursday for the legendary cumbia band, which will perform at the 6,000seat performance venue adjacent to SoFi Stadium in the Hollywood Park complex in Inglewood on Sept. 11 and the Toyota Arena in Ontario on Nov. 24. The group also has a date set at Viejas Arena in San Diego on Nov. 21.
The local shows are part of a nearly 30-city tour that will take the band throughout the United States starting in late August.
The Los Angeles Azules tour is the latest in a spree of concerts announced in Southern California as the state eases COVID-19 restrictions.
While most coronavirus restrictions on businesses and workplaces will lift on June 15, the future of large-scale live events is still unclear since state public health officials have not yet clarified if large concerts and festivals fall under the same rule as conventions with more than 5,000 people.
Those events will remain prohibited until at least October unless organizers get proof that everyone at the event has been vaccinated or had a recent negative COVID-19 test.
Officials at the Toyota Arena are taking a waitand-see approach when it comes to the safety protocols that will be in place by the time the band comes to Ontario.
“This show is happening Nov. 24 so it’s hard to say exactly what those protocols are going to be because it’s going to depend on what the regulations are from the CDC and our local health officials as to what will be required,” said Sue Oxarart, director of marketing and communications for the arena.
She said tickets for all 10,000 seats at the indoor arena will be available for the Los Angeles Azules concert and that the venue will strictly follow whatever safety rules are in place at the time.
“If we need to make adjustments as we get closer to the date depending on what’s going on with restrictions and parameters, we will notify ticket holders,” she said.
Hollywood Park officials said in an email they will be releasing safety information for the show closer to the concert date and that the guidelines will adhere to Los Angeles County Department of Health protocols.
Los Angeles Azules was formed outside of Mexico City in Iztapalapa by siblings Elias, Alfredo, Jose, Cristina and Guadalupe Mejia Avante. The band’s catchy dance music is called cumbia sonidera, which is a variation of the more traditional Colombian cumbia that adds accordion and electronic synthesizers to the music’s African rhythms.
The group has earned a dedicated following with shows that turn into dance parties. In addition to performances around Southern California, including the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2018, the band has sold out large venues such as Mexico City’s 50,000-person and show-capacity Auditorio Nacional.
To purchase tickets, go to losangelesazules.com. mx/tour.