After a more than 12-month hiatus that saw him interrupt his tour mid-start, Mexican superstar Alejandro Fernandez has announced a 19-date U.S. tour. It will see him performing with 25 people onstage, including his full band, his Mexican mariachi, special guests Christian Nodal and his son, Alex Fernández, as well as a handful of guests in different cities.
The “Hecho en México [Made In Mexico]” tour, so named after Fernández’s Grammy-nominated album (out on Universal Music Latin), kicks off Sept. 10 in Reno, and ends Oct. 24 in Phoenix. The tour is presented by Live Nation, and tickets go on sale April 16 at 10 a.m. on Ticketmaster.
The tour will play to full capacity venues, says Luana Pagani, a partner in Seitrack, Fernandez’s management team. For these venues, it translates to 5,800 people at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden to nearly 15,000 at The Forum in Los Angeles.
“Nothing is ‘normal’ yet in terms of venues, but we understand all venues will follow their protocols, and we will as well,” says Pagani. All visa and work requirements for Fernández and his musicians have already been cleared, and Fernandez will also perform at the Latin American Music Awards April 15.
For Fernandez, the import of his tour announcement is not lost, especially as one of Latin music’s biggest stars, as the scion of one of Mexico’s most prominent musical families (his father is Vicente Fernández), and as the spokesperson of Families Belong Together. The campaign of the National Domestic Workers Alliance works to end family separation, and will receive a portion of the tours’ proceeds.
“We lost a lot of people in this pandemic — fiends, family,” Fernández tells Billboard. “So the most important thing is we’re coming back properly, doing things right and with a very important message after all that’s happened, which is thanking God that we’re alive.”
Fernández, a prolific touring act, is known — like his father — for his bravura performances that are long on time and high on quality.
For “Hecho en México,” he is upping the ante by touring for the first time ever with his son, Alex Fernández, who is 25 and signed to Sony. The prospect recalls Fernández’s own stage debut alongside his father, when he was only six years old.
However, says Fernández, “I only started to tour when I was 18, so we’re not that far apart. Alex is a good kid. He’s dedicated and professional. He’s seen how my father works, and he’s seen how I work, and he’s responsible. He’s hungry to do things right.”
Fernández will also invite rising ranchero/norteño star Christian Nodal as a special guest on at least three tour stops. The two became close after recording the hit “Duele” together. It was the kind of cross-generational collaboration Fernández had not done before in Mexican music.
Fernández, that rare artist who’s able to navigate easily between traditional pop and traditional regional Mexican music, had most often collaborated with pop acts, and in his concerts he tends to mix styles and outfits to represent his two styles of music.
Partnering with Nodal, and also with Edén Muñoz of Calibre 50, who will be a guest in at least one show, highlights a new generation of Mexican music starts that are propelling the music forward.
“There’s a resurging interest for Mexican music,” agrees Fernández. “In fact, I’ll be singing some of my pop material, but in more Mexican arrangements.”
Fernández will also perform the entire tour dressed in the traditional formal charro garb that includes the broad-rimmed hat, tight decorated pants and a short fitted jacket.
That’s good news for Mexican fans, who are expected to fly in from Mexico to see Fernández’s shows, particularly on the West Coast. The month of September, which has traditionally drawn Mexican tourists to Las Vegas for the many Latin music performances that take place there as part of Mexican Independence, is expected to see a surge in travel, as concerts have not restarted in Mexico.
“Last year I had played Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City and a couple of dates in Guadalajara and then we had to put everything on hold,” says Fernández. “This will be an epic return.”
Check out the dates and venues for the “Hecho En Mexico” tour:
*with Alex Fernandez
+with Christian Nodal
Fri, Sept. 10 – Reno, NV – Grand Sierra Theatre^
Sat, Sept. 11 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center*
Sun, Sept. 12 – Fresno, CA – Save Mart Center*
Wed, Sept. 15 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena*
Fri, Sept. 17 – Albuquerque, NM – Rio Rancho Events Center*
Sat, Sept. 18 – El Paso, TX – UTEP Don Haskins Center*
Fri, Sept. 24 – Houston, TX – Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land*
Sun, Sept. 26 – Chicago, IL – Allstate Arena*
Thurs, Sept. 30 – Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre
Fri, Oct. 1 – New York, NY – Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden
Sun, Oct. 3 – Miami, FL – AmericanAirlines Arena
Tues, Oct. 5 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy
Fri, Oct. 8 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory*
Sat, Oct. 9 – Hidalgo, TX – Payne Arena*
Sun, Oct. 10 – San Antonio, TX – AT&T Center*
Fri, Oct. 15 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center at San Jose+
Sat, Oct. 16 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena+
Fri, Oct. 22 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum+
Sun, Oct. 24 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Federal Theatre*
^ not a Live Nation date
