Grupo Firme Is Selling Out Stadiums. How Did That Happen?

Live entertainment is a fickle business. No one ever knows what will catch the attention of the public. Every year around the globe there are millions of songs written, and tens of thousands of would-be performers trying to enter the business. Almost no one succeeds. Success is getting the opportunity to play, in public, and have someone, anyone, buy a ticket and come to the show.

Artists who do succeed capture the imagination of their audience with a catchy song, by having a rare musical talent or the innate ability to connect with an audience. The audience must feel invested in the performer to make the effort to go to a show.

So, in a world obsessed with Rappers, DJs and K-pop, how does an exclusively Spanish language Norte Americano band go from playing small shows to selling out stadium tours in just a couple of years? That is really the core question facing all founders and promoters. What is the secret sauce which builds an audience so invested they will come to an outdoor stadium concert during a driving rainstorm, and stay through to the end of the show?

Grupo Firme is a band which is run by two people: Eduin Caz, lead singer and Isael Gutiérrez his equal partner who handles all things promotion. Caz has that magic essence which attracts audiences. He’s young and good looking with a beautiful singing voice. He has the stage presence to carry a show to 70,000 in attendance and the humility to share the stage with other performers including his brother Jhonny and Abraham Hernandez.

The band itself is more than just a concert. Each show contains every single element which delights a crowd. The show is approximately three hours long, and each show varies depending on which audibles Eduin calls to the band during the performance. There are approximately 24 musicians on stage, usually a massive horn section of 18, along with guitars, bass, drums and an accordion. In addition to Eduin, Jhonny and Abraham there are several other vocalists and a rotating crew of dancers.

The show has set pieces in which dancers come out in various costumes and perform with props and staging relative to the song. Pyrotechnics are used throughout the show to enhance the appearance, including fireworks during the closing moments. Almost every form of stage craft used to life an audience is incorporated into the show. There are even many moments during the show when everything comes to a complete halt while the band drinks shots of tequila, or more precisely pours shots of tequila from the bottle into each other’s mouths while the screen flash “shot” and the crowd chants like it’s a fraternity party.

Grupo Firme performs songs which are current, but which are based on Mexican cultural music. There is heritage in the show. Parents bring children to see music which originates from the music they knew as children. This exhibition of the breadth of Mexican music, performed as if it was all created in current times is both aspirational and inspirational. Aside from the oft repeated shot taking, the show itself is tame rather than sexualized. That may be another factor in Grupo Firme’s massive success. They don’t need to dance half naked or spew lyrics which are offensive to large segments of the population. Instead, they sing contemporary songs about love and life which are energetic enough to move a crowd performed in a way the whole family can go just as easily as a pair of millennials on a date. Gutiérrez attributes much of the rapid success to having a modern and current show which celebrates the culture of Mexico and gives parents a way to show their children some of the elements of their culture.

So, given we understand the performance elements of Grupo Firme, how did they come out of nowhere to filling stadiums? That is the result of the marketing brilliance of Isael Gutiérrez. He partnered with Eduin Caz in February of 2017. Together they now own both the band and Music VIP Entertainment, the company they are building in support of Grupo Firme and other carefully selected acts.

Gutiérrez is a family man now living in Los Angeles. He involves his family in all elements of Grupo Firme. Isael’s wife Rosa Carmina comes to many of the shows. Their son Julian is working with the family in many capacities, from management support and merchandising to including helping to translate the inevitable language issues as the band moves back and forth from Spanish to English language areas.

There is a real charm in how this family interacts with the VIP guests and influencers who attend the Grupo Firme shows. There might be 70,000 in the house, but when you’re with the Gutiérrez family, even for just a moment or two, they make you feel like you’re the most important person they are with. This human connection is what differentiates bands with a passing hit from those with a passionate following. It is in great part what drives this phenomenon.

The team behind Grupo Firme is solid. That goes across the board from executives behind the scenes all the way to the chef who handles their catering. They interact like a family which is critical to taking a big show on the road.

In part because of the leadership of Gutiérrez and in part because of the intrinsic quality of the rest of the team, Grupo Firme makes interesting choices. They are building more downtime between shows to allow the performers to rest. Shows may be scheduled with a two-week period between locations. Because they go out and play massive stadium shows, the team has the luxury of paying fewer shows overall. Sometimes less is more. These three-hour live shows require astonishing amounts of physical effort to maintain this level of on-stage exuberance.

Gutiérrez pays close attention to details, including their branded merchandise. Rather than selling the rights to merchandise off to one of the major touring band merch companies, Grupo Firme is choosing smaller, more local artists to design and make the merchandise.

The last rating online had Grupo Firme as the 424^th “biggest” band in the world. It seems unlikely that there are more than 100 bands worldwide which can sell out a stadium show, and even less likely they could sell out five nights at Foro Sol in Mexico City in a single 12-month period. Grupo Firme did and now hold both the record for Foro Sol and the keys to Mexico City. To understand this significance of this achievement, the prior record holder was The Rolling Stones with four appearances in 1995 during their Voodoo Lounge tour.

Grupo Firme’s new North American tour is just now going on sale for such venues as Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Petco Park in San Diego, NRG stadium in Houston, AT&T stadium in Dallas and MetLife stadium in New York. These are massive facilities. Tickets are available at:

GrupofirmeGrupo Firme Tour 2022

Gutiérrez is a natural promotor. He works a room effortlessly, offering drinks, making speeches. He’s gracious and kind, but at the same time knows his business well. Gutiérrez doesn’t forget his friends or his family. At the record-breaking 5^th Grupo Firme show at Foro Sol in Mexico City there were multiple private suites where people were invited to watch the show. Gutiérrez visited them all, shaking hands, slapping backs, and just acting like a good host. His family was there: Julian, Rosa and even his parents. Gutiérrez’ Dad is a musician in his own right. Imagine your father was a touring musician with reasonable success, but then you can bring him to your shows which fill stadiums across the U.S. and throughout Latin America. What a proud family moment.

Gutiérrez is a big fan of live music. He still expresses wonder and joy at the fact his band is now playing the arenas and stadiums where he saw Guns n Roses, Paul McCartney, Madonna, and others who achieved massive popular success. You can see his face light up as he describes walking on the stages where these same artists played.

This was the first interview I’ve ever done with assistance from a translator. Gutiérrez predominantly spoke in English, but whenever he got especially passionate, he switched into Spanish. His son Julian was there to translate. The interview was interesting. Gutiérrez is magnetic. He’s a natural speaker and when he is on a topic which interests him you can see him get excited to explain. Our conversation could have easily gone for another two hours.

Watch the video and you’ll see what I did – a man who is fully invested in his work and who works seamlessly with his son. Our conversation is below in both audio and video podcast format:

https://fullerfacts.libsyn.com/season-7-episode-1-grupo-firme

The classic definition of the American Dream is to use your talents and hard work to lift yourself up to success by the sweat of your brow. That dream includes having a fulfilling career which provides economic security, acceptance in your community and success in your chosen field. The home run version of that dream also includes a happy and intact nuclear family. This is exactly where Isael Gutiérrez is now. What’s amazing is that this success was achieved in one of the most competitive industries on the planet by a man who had little money and barely spoke English. Gutiérrez has proven that the “American” dream is still available, and that dream is not contained at the border. It exists wherever people are willing to go all in on whatever business they are building leaving fear behind as the drive toward success. Usually, success is a journey measured in small steps. But, occasionally, a situation like Grupo Firme shows that the rocket ride is not reserved just for billionaires. You don’t have to build your own rocket to take the ride. Just do the work. A Norte Americano band is touring America in stadiums which usually hold Taylor Swift or The Rolling Stones. Improbable? Sure. Impossible? Just ask Isael Gutiérrez. But it’s best to wait until you have at least half a day free, so you have enough time to hear his answer.