Touring in the Latin realm returned in a big way after live music was sidelined by the ongoing pandemic, which shut down any iteration of an in-person concert for nearly 18 months.
With the numbers to prove that Latin music is in demand and that fans are more than ready to see their favorite Latin artists live — even if that means having to wear a mask during the entirety of the show — nine of the 40 top tours of 2021 were by a Latin act.
Landing a top 10 spot on the list is Mexican grupero band Los Bukis, who reunited after 25 years for a sold-out stadium tour produced by Live Nation. A week after announcing a three-date tour in June, and selling out those dates in a matter of hours, Los Bukis added additional dates to their Una Historia Cantada trek that reunited Marco Antonio Solís with his former band.
“The demand was very clear, and fans understood this was a historic event that hasn’t happened in 25 years,” Hans Schafer, senior vp touring, Live Nation Latin, previously told Billboard. “This is only a growing momentum and, now more than ever, the market is very healthy and thriving.” Los Bukis’ tour grossed a total of $49 million in nine shows alone.
But before Los Bukis announced their reunion tour, Maluma was among the first batch of artists, if not the first, to announce an ambitious tour for 2021. In February, the Colombian artist unveiled dates for his CMN-produced Papi Juancho Tour, which kicked off Sept. 1 in Sacramento. “We gave the industry a needed infusion. It’s good for the market, and we’re ready to go. We can’t keep postponing tours,” CMN’s CEO Henry Cárdenas said when the tour was announced. Maluma’s 27 shows grossed a grand total of $24 million.
From Los Bukis’ reunion tour to Grupo Firme’s historic run at Staples Center, below are the top Latin tours of 2021, according to Billboard‘s 2021 year-end Boxscore charts.
These tours are ranked by gross revenue as reported to Billboard Boxscore.
No. 6: Los Bukis
Total Gross: $49,667,153
Total Attendees: 357,343
Number of Shows: 9
Back together again after 25 years, Los Bukis reunited for a historic stadium tour, presented by Live Nation, that kicked off in Los Angeles on Aug. 27 at L.A.’s newly-opened SoFi Stadium. The last time the Mexican ensemble played in L.A. was in 1995 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in front of 60,000 fans. After their start in L.A., they went on to play in major cities such as Chicago and San Antonio for a total of nine shows across the U.S.
No. 14: Maluma
Total Gross: $24,488,668
Total Attendees: 240,384
Number of Shows: 27
In September, Maluma returned to touring with back-to-back shows in California to kick off his CMN-produced Papi Juancho Tour. After not touring for 18 months, the Colombian star serenaded fans from the in-the-round or 360-style stage, which allowed for more interaction with fans from every corner.
No. 18: Aventura
Total Gross: $20,821,596
Total Attendees: 160,982
Number of Shows: 4
With guest performances by Bad Bunny and Karol G, Aventura — helmed by Romeo Santos, Henry Santos, Lenny Santos and Max Santos — resumed touring dubbing their Inmortal Tour their last-ever tour together. The group officially launched their short but lucrative U.S. trek at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Aug. 14.
No. 20: Pitbull
Total Gross: $19,837,668
Total Attendees: 419,238
Number of Shows: 32
Produced by Live Nation, Mr. Worldwide’s 32-city tour kicked off in August at the DTE Energy Music Theatre in Detroit and made stops across the U.S. in Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Atlanta and more before wrapping up in Tampa, Fla in October. Titled the I Feel Good Tour, the trek was his first in nearly two years and featured special guest Iggy Azalea who performed in select cities.
No. 21: Enrique Iglesias & Ricky Martin
Total Gross: $19,265,066
Total Attendees: 177,642
Number of Shows: 15
In 2020, Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin were ready to embark on their first-ever co-headlining tour — but the pandemic had other plans. As the touring industry re-opened in early 2021, the two Latin global stars officially hit the road in September, making pit stops in Los Angeles, Miami and Las Vegas. With Sebastian Yatra joining the pair in select cities, the tour produced by Live Nation officially wrapped up in November.
No. 23: Grupo Firme
Total Gross: $18,625,726
Total Attendees: 203,703
Number of Shows: 19
Grupo Firme helped relaunch Staples Center on July 30, playing the Los Angeles arena’s first concert in 513 days. It also marked the beginning of the supergroup’s historic run at the arena with their first (of seven) full-capacity, sold-out show — making history as the first Latin act to perform the most shows in a single calendar year at Staples (the only other artist that has done more is Adele with eight in one calendar year). Outside of L.A., Firme went on to sell out shows in other cities including Chicago, New York and Vegas.
No. 26: Alejandro Fernández
Total Gross: $16,371,965
Total Attendees: 157,924
Number of Shows: 23
Alejandro Fernández kicked off his 2021 Hecho en Mexico U.S. tour on Sept. 10 at the Grand Sierra Theatre in Reno, Nevada. The 21-date tour, presented by Live Nation, wrapped up on Oct. 24 at the Arizona Federal Theatre in Phoenix. On tour, the Mexican superstar was joined by 25 people on stage, including his full band, his Mexican mariachi, special guests Christian Nodal and his son, Alex Fernández. Hecho en Mexico also served as a fundraiser for Families Belong Together, where Fernandez donated over $100,000 from the tour proceeds to assist immigrant families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border.
No. 34: Marc Anthony
Total Gross: $13,648,954
Total Attendees: 115,454
Number of Shows: 16
The Marc Anthony North American tour kicked off Aug. 27 in San Antonio’s AT&T Center, making stops in major cities including Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles. Produced and presented by CMN and Magnus Media, the trek reunited Anthony with fans following his 2019 Opus Tour that saw him perform around the globe up until the COVID-19 imposed lockdown. One of the highest-grossing touring acts in the Latin realm, in 2019, Anthony sold 233,962 tickets in the U.S. and grossed $25.4.
No. 38: Pepe Aguilar
Total Gross: $12,597,948
Total Attendees: 118,393
Number of Shows: 14
Pepe Aguilar made his touring return with his Jaripeo Sin Fronteras Tour, which included 14 U.S. dates for 2021. Conceptualized by the renowned star himself, the family-friendly concert featured performances by Pepe, Angela Aguilar, Leonardo Aguilar, Antonio Aguilar Jr., Banda Sinaloense and Mariachi Zacatecano. Produced by Live Nation, the tour officially kicked off Sept. 4 in Phoenix and wrapped up on Dec. 5 in San Jose, California’s SAP Center.
