On: October 7 at 03:10 PM
Marco Antonio Solis, one of Latin music’s most influential composers, singers and producer, will soon make his only Northern California stop in Stockton.
And his opening act will be none other than Latin rock queen Alejandra Guzman, a Latin Grammy Award winner.
Tickets for the idol combo are selling fast. As of Oct. 7, the show sold more than 7,400 tickets. Only Vicente Fernandez fans snapped up tickets quicker in the arena’s short history.
The concert is set for 7 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Stockton Arena, 248 W. Fremont St. Tickets are $50-$150 and available at 209.373.1700 or StocktonTickets.com.
The Solis tour will end in Los Angeles after leaving Stockton.
Solis, named Composer of the Year in May by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Editors, makes Mexicans proud, said 23-year-old Cristobal Montana, a fan originally from Guerrero, Mexico.
“It’s as if you asked me about (renowned mariachi singer) Vicente Fernandez. No one comes close to Marco Antonio,” Montana said.
Stockton promoter Fred Godinez, a partner with M.G. & S. Productions, said it wasn’t easy bringing the tour to the 209 for a Saturday-night concert.
Typically, artists of Solis’ stature only come to smaller markets like Stockton during the week, if at all.
“They are afraid of not doing so well in this market,” Godinez said.
Gondinez also persuaded Vicente Fernandez to play Stockton in each of the past two years.
His persistence has paid off. Tickets for the Solis and Guzman show have sold faster than those for the EliteXC mixed martial arts event at the arena, as well as arena concerts featuring Neil Diamond and Gwen Stafani.
Solis’ compositions have proved timeless over the years. Songs like “Si No Te Hubieras Ido (If You Had Not Gone Away)” were as popular with the previous generation of Latin music fans as they are today. And Solis’ albums have made the Billboard’s Hot Latin Tracks chart more than 30 times. Last year, several of his albums were inducted in the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame.
Recently, he released “Una Noche en Madrid: Live,” a CD and DVD of mariachi-inspired production songs in Madrid, Spain. His 2008 tour replicates that elaborate production by including backup dancers and a mariachi band.
Solis, a native of Michoaca, Mexico, earned fame in Los Bukis, a group he formed in the 1970s. During that period, he also wrote and produced songs for well-known Latino singers Marisela and Rocio Durcal.
Solis parted ways with the group and started his solo career in 1996. He has avoided media exposure as a solo artist even as he reaches new fans through his hit albums and production work with artists such as Enrique Iglesias.
Fans describe Solis' music as the essence of Latin romance.
“I think he feels the songs,” said Stockton’s Erica Valencia, 30, a Solis fan for more than 20 years. “He sings about love and things that happen in most people’s lives.”
