Norteño super-group Pesado had a concert at El Bajio in Bryan Saturday, complete with all the gritos, boot stomps and dancing one would expect.
The brainchild of Monterrey natives Beto Zapata and Pepe Elizondo, Pesado has become one of the staple bands of the norteño music. Pesado first began in 1993, and 25 studio albums later, the racked up accolades such as the Latin Grammy, which they are nominated for again this year.
Civil engineering junior Josa Gomez was in attendance at the concert and said he has a been a huge fan of Pesado for many years.
“My parents are very big fans as well and I grew up listening to Pesado,” Gomez said. “It reminds me of home.”
According to architecture graduate student Marisol Cantu, concerts like Pesado’s are also great ways for other Hispanic students to come out and meet each other. She said having norteño music in the area allows Mexican students to “come out of hiding” and develop their sense of culture and identity with each other.
“It would be a disservice to our community if bands like Pesado didn’t stop by,” Cantu said.
Pesado frontman and creator Pepe Elizondo said the band also had to make many sacrifices to travel and spread their music to fans and they empathize with far-from-home students.
“I have lived it with my own kids who are both in college and travelled abroad this past summer,” Elizondo said. “Being in a line of work such as mine where I am constantly travelling far from home, they have my full support.”
Elizondo said he believes Hispanic students should do their best to remain close to their roots, not only during Hispanic Heritage Month but as often as they can.
“I encourage students to not lose those core values and principles of their culture even if they are not physically with their families or even their homeland,” Elizondo said. “We hope to bring back memories to our fans — a friend, a love, their madrecita back home — perhaps with a song from Pesado, we can make them think back fondly on those memories.”
Pesado plans to travel through South America later this year for the first time and Elizondo assured me they hope to return to the B-CS area soon.