Photographer: Ernie Rodriguez @ernd0gz
Known as the “Kings of Bachata” music, iconic Latin group Aventura brought the house down in Seattle, WA (Climate Pledge Arena) on July 17th, 2024, bringing lots of swag, sexiness, and New York City vibes with them. Currently, the band is on their ‘Cerrando Ciclos’ (closing cycles) tour as they announced in February this year, calling it their farewell tour. For a longtime fan like myself, I was both equally excited but also disappointed we won’t be treated to any more major tours by the band. Nonetheless, fans who are able to indulge in this nostalgic experience won’t be disappointed. Aventura opened up their set list with “Por Un Segundo” while a chest box featuring the Puerto Rican and Dominican flags with photo memorabilia opened up symbolic of the band’s heritage and iconic time together.
Romeo Santos, Aventura’s charismatic frontman wore a blue blazer with purple silk pants and looked astonishingly stylish, sexy, and gorgeous throughout the evening while he belted out classics like “Dile Al Amor,” “El Perdedor,” “Mi Corazoncito,” “Llorar,” and my favorite “Todavia Me Amas.” 2018 was the last time Santos graced the Seattle area and I was fortunate to attend that show which took place at the Wamu Theater, a smaller and more intimate setting. For this tour, Aventura went all out singing their most beloved and popular songs since the band’s debut album over 20 years ago. Henry Santos, (Romeo’s cousin) Co-Singer and Co-Founder of Aventura provided backing vocals and entertained the crowd with his dance moves all evening while singing lead during Romeo’s wardrobe change.
During mid-show, the band took to the b-stage in the middle of the arena, and 2 lucky girls were brought up to sing vocals with Romeo. The vibe of the night was energized with non-stop screaming girls especially when Romeo threw kisses to the crowd, and an amazing instrumental performance by Aventura guitarists Max and Lenny Santos. Ending the night with an encore and fan favorite “Obsesion,” from 2002, I realized this was most likely the last time I would ever see the band together and just really took in the moment to enjoy the experience. Romeo will continue his solo career at least, and fans have the music to enjoy for a lifetime. Having modernized and evolved the form of Bachata music, Aventura has left a lasting legacy and influential impact on Latin music with their expressive romantic lyrics and musical experimentation.
The band still has remaining tour dates for the year, and I highly recommend attending if you can.
Earlier this year, Romeo Santos remarked via his social media he was looking forward to the future and said, “We cannot stagnate in the nostalgia of yesterday.” Keep a watch for new projects from the band members going forward.
Check out Aventura’s music here.
