What Softening Latin Music Market? Julión Álvarez Sells Out 3 SoFi Stadium Shows

It’s been eight years since regional Mexican star Julión Álvarez played a show in the States, so he had to make his long-awaited return to a U.S. stage in grand style. The artist teamed up with Cárdenas Marketing Network to make it happen at one of the premier venues in the world, and with an estimated 150,000 fans over three days, it’s safe to say they knocked it out of the park. Álvarez’s three sold-out nights, April 17-19, at Inglewood, California’s SoFi Stadium makes him the first Latin artist to achieve such a feat at the venue and demonstrate the power and influence música Mexicana wields in the multibillion-dollar live entertainment business.

Álvarez, known as the “King of the Box Office” in his native country, is the first since Beyoncé to have three sold-out concerts at the SoFi Stadium. Queen Bey grossed a whopping $45.54 million off 155,567 tickets sold, according to Pollstar Boxoffice, back in Sept. 2023, and the stadium has seen similar success in the past when booking Latin music acts having hosted Bad Bunny and Grupo Firme for two nights each three years ago and another two-night stand from Los Bukis in 2021, which hauled in a total of $13.8 million across both nights. Grupo Firme’s two shows in 2022 grossed $13.03 million, and Bad Bunny shattered records at the time with grosses exceeding $31 million.

Adolfo Romero, vice president of event booking and revenue generation at SoFi Stadium, walked on stage during the final night to congratulate Álvarez on the achievement. The artist proceeded to thank his fans for their unwavering support and joked that his shows may have broken another record.

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but it looks like we also broke the record for most alcohol sold each night,” Álvarez said on stage as he received a memento for selling out three nights. “They also give a prize to us drunks.”

The box office king then took a cup of alcohol and toasted to his audience, saying, “Thank you for not letting go of our hands over the past 18 years, [especially] these last eight years, to be able to return here and sing our music to all of you. I’ll never forget this night.”

What was supposed to be one concert expanded into a three-night stand after promoter Cárdenas Marketing Network saw how many fans logged on to purchase tickets for Álvarez’s first concert in the U.S. since 2017.

“When we launched the presale, there were 180,000 people online trying to buy tickets; the demand led to the announcement of the second and third dates,” said Alex Cárdenas, CMN’s touring director. “Tickets for the first two dates sold out within the first two to three hours.”

That demand is a breath of fresh air for promoters and agents who worried that the live Latin music market was softening because of saturation and the political climate. Spanish-speaking fans showed up to watch a rare appearance from Álvarez despite ICE deportation raids happening across the country. Some live industry professionals have expressed concerns to Pollstar about such raids and worried that it would deter the Hispanic population, especially those who are undocumented, from attending concerts. Álvarez’s success in a Mexican-heavy market like Los Angeles not only served as a beacon for marginalized groups but also assured the artist that success on the road in the U.S. is attainable, even during troubling times like these.

“Los Angeles has the largest concentration of Mexican Hispanics in the U.S., and it’s one of the most important fan bases, not only for regional Mexican music but for the artist as well,” Copar Music’s Ricardo Álvarez, Julión’s brother and manager, told Pollstar. “We decided that it would be the central city to carry out this important return to the U.S.

“Julión has a genuine and direct relationship with his audience ever since the beginning of his career. The connection through his music has proven that the genre transcends continents — and so does his music,” he added. “These three nights are the result of that connection and great music.”

Álvarez is a prominent figure in the música Mexicana movement with more than 15 million monthly listeners on Spotify. He had not been able to perform on American soil because the U.S. government alleged the artist was linked to a drug trafficking organization, but that allegation was dropped in 2022. Before setting new records at SoFi Stadium, the Mexican star’s last U.S. concert was at Oracle Arena (now called Oakland Arena) in Northern California on April 29, 2017. The show grossed $739,504 off 6,962 tickets sold, according to Pollstar Boxoffice.

Though the singer hailing from Chiapas only has one more U.S. show at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on May 24, his manager told Pollstar that fans can expect to see more of Julión Álvarez in other major markets.

“In 2025, we’ll be touring cities in Mexico, and we’re working with the CMN team to announce additional stadium dates in the U.S. for 2026, including Houston, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Chicago, San Jose, San Francisco and New York, ” said Ricardo Álvarez.

CMN noticed interests and trends from audiences in L.A. and near Dallas that prompted them to wet the artist’s feet in those two markets. Cárdenas said they considered the challenges consumers face in this economy and worked “to ensure ticket prices are accessible to the general public, with the goal of allowing everyone to enjoy a memorable experience.”

Few tickets remain for Álvarez’s AT&T Stadium concert and are available via SeatGeek.