After three postponements, Peso Pluma finally plays Milwaukee — and a lot of empty seats

When it came to trying to make a good first impression in Milwaukee, Peso Pluma sure made it hard for himself.

The fast-rising star — a key performer fueling the explosion of regional Mexican music in the United States, streaming of which was up 60% last year according to music data tracking firm Luminate — initially had been scheduled to make his Milwaukee debut at Fiserv Forum last September. Then the show was postponed to November. Then to May.

And, finally, to Tuesday — when he took the stage an hour and 42 minutes after the show’s scheduled start time.

Now that we’re past the pandemic, I doubt even acclaimed seasoned artists with a reputation for delayed starts and cancellations (looking at you, Lauryn Hill and Madonna) would put a fan base in one city through the ringer like that.

And it may have cost him — there were big pockets of empty seats all over Fiserv Forum for his show Tuesday night.

Nevertheless, after all the hassles he created, the 25-year-old born Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija still managed to draw a significantly larger crowd than reggaeton star J. Balvin did in the same venue in 2018. And while the leadup to his first Milwaukee impression was bumpy (and inconsiderate), across 31 songs and two hours and five minutes Tuesday, he made a strong lasting impression.

When Pluma did finally show up in Milwaukee Tuesday, it was quite the entrance.

Lush strikes of live violin summoned up the arrival of 14 dancers, all dressed in black with hoods over their heads, their eyes glowing red, plus eight mobile mariachi-style musicians (including three horn players, acoustic guitarist and acoustic bassist). As for Pluma, he appeared from underneath the stage in a throne that rose from the floor, wearing a shimmering ski mask and instantly exuding king-of-the-world cool as he sang "La Patrulla" from new album "éxodo." (That was a silver lining for the delays — plenty of new songs.)

It took only moments for Pluma, who appeared to be fully recovered from a foot injury that reportedly affected some recent shows, to get up on his feet and play hype man, hopping around the stage and triggering surges of cheers with wild waves of his arm. It was very hip-hop, and that sense of style extended to the dancers, whose large numbers and sharp choreography overwhelmed the night's second song, "La Durango" — the dancers' eyes now glowing white, the same color of the flashing wristbands given to fans as they made their entrance.

But by this point, Pluma's mask was off — peeled off slowly, to be specific, in a most dramatic fashion — with devilish smiles and exasperation giving personality to the spectacle.

Sharing equal footing were the rich tones of Latin guitar, the grounded bass of tololoche, the triumphant bursts of brass.

This dynamic and innovative juxtaposition of traditional Mexican old-school romance with modern-day hip-hop swagger is why this new wave of regional Mexican music is exploding right now. And Pluma showed Tuesday why he's the ultimate star blazing this new path.

Sure, he had a lot of help.

Beyond those dancers — who, for one mid-show stretch, actually grew to 16 in number — there was the stage floor that doubled as a high-tech video screen and multi-colored lasers that dazzled throughout the set (with those illuminated audience wristbands frequently matching the show's lighting scheme). There were fireworks that rained down from above, shimmering pyrotechnics that glistened at the back of the stage, bursts of fire and steam.

There were even a couple of full-fledged flamethrowers near the finale, with those dancers doing their moves while waving burning red flares, while the band brought their own heat all night — a trombone solo that accompanied big singalong "Siempre Pendientes" was especially thrilling.

But Pluma as a performer showed why he's such a singular and captivating superstar. His nasally voice can be an acquired taste, but he follows generations of artists from Bob Dylan to Post Malone with his warbly croon, who draw you in with that distinct tone.

Hearing Pluma's voice crack upon screaming "quatro" at the end of a countdown for closing number "Teka" was actually charming, a flash of relatability, an endearing flaw, as memorable as the tsunami of confetti that covered the crowd, and the burst of fireworks whose colors represented the flag of his native Mexico, the bold colors of green, white and red also dominating the video screen-covered stage.

And if Pluma's singing capabilities have limitations, he possesses quite the emotional range. There was his icy hip-hop flow for "Plebada," part of a band-free section of club-ready, reggaeton and dembo-indebted bangers. Songs in this section, like Karol G collaboration "Qlona" and "Mala," may be less distinctive for Pluma than his breakthrough sound, but he showed he could handle this mode with aplomb.

But on the opposite end of that spectrum, Pluma's voice exuded sweet tenderness as he strummed acoustic guitar for "Nueva Vida" — a risky but indisputably successful sudden shift from the club tracks. That smitten charm also shined for his breakout song "Ella Baila Sola," which ended with Pluma giving the camera that was following him around on stage a big old kiss.

And the pride he exuded in his voice for "PRC" — which doubled as a tribute to Mexican artists who came before him (like Jenni Rivera and Los Tucanes De Tijuana) and his contemporaries (like Luis R. Conruqiez and Junior H), with Pluma wearing a Mexican flag around his shoulders — was inspired.

Thanks to all of these elements and more, the buzz from Peso Pluma's Milwaukee debut should lead to higher ticket sales the next time he comes to town. And if he doesn't delay the next concert three times, and if he doesn't take the stage so late on show night, that would be all the better.

More: These are all of the arena, amphitheater and stadium concerts in Milwaukee in 2024

More: From Peso Pluma to Ivan Cornejo, Milwaukee is getting more A-list Latin concerts than ever

3 takeaways from Peso Pluma's Fiserv Forum concert in Milwaukee

• Great as the production was Tuesday, I had two complaints. One, too frequently the bass was loud and distorted, a frustrating issue that should have been fixed swiftly and threatened to squander the band's musicality and the production's razzle dazzle. And two, there's got to be a better way for artists to fill time between acts than with pretentious voiceover narration (cough, Imagine Dragons, cough). The Pluma show Tuesday featured such groaners as (translated from Spanish), "the shadows that you once judged become the ordinary."

• Peso Pluma kicked off a historic month for Latin concerts in Milwaukee, with three such shows — including Fuerza Regida Aug. 16 and Don Omar Aug. 30 — also coming to Fiserv Forum, a record in the city for the most Spanish-language arena concerts in a single month. In fact, the Milwaukee Bucks arena will host more Spanish-language concerts this month than English-language shows.

• And if you're eager to hear Pluma show highlight "Ella Baila Sola" again live, you're in luck. His collaborators on that song, Eslabon Armado, are the top headliners at Mexican Fiesta at Maier Festival Park this year, on Aug. 25.

Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or [email protected]. Follow him on X at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: After three postponements, Peso Pluma finally plays Milwaukee