Groundbreaking band headlining Las Vegas Strip this summer

Carlos Santana doesn’t play with just anybody. Grupo Frontera is somebody.

The five-member outfit from Edinburg, Texas, is headlining Michelob Ultra Arena on Aug. 1. This is a stop in the band’s “Triste Pero Bien C*brón Tour” (tickets on sale 10 a.m. Friday at AXS.com).

Grupo Frontera is made up of Adelaido “Payo” Solís III, accordionist and backing vocalist Juan Javier Cantú, congas player Julian Peña Jr., bajo quinto player Alberto “Beto” Acosta and drummer Carlos Guerrero.

The band blends country, R&B, electronic and bachata styles.

Santana has collaborated with Grupo Frontera on the single “Me Retiro.” The band and rock legend premiered the song this past May at House of Blues.

That track, along with “Velas,” a collaboration with incoming Sphere headliner Carín León, are the first two songs on Santana’s upcoming Mexican-themed album on Sony Latin.

Grupo Frontera has also collaborated with international superstar and Super Bowl halftime sensation Bad Bunny on the record-breaking, No. 1 song “un x100to.” The track means “One Percent” in English. The 2023 single shot to the top position on the Billboard Global 100 and Top Spotify tracks.

Santana has told the Spanish-language publication Milenio, “Grupo Frontera has soul, it has purpose, and that’s what I look for.”

This is the latest in a spate of upcoming show announcements in VegasVille:

— Multiple-Grammy and Latin Grammy winner Pepe Aguilarplays Dolby Live at Park MGM on June 6. This is on what is described as a tour of “the country’s most important venues.” Can’t argue that, in the land of Mars. Tickets on sale 10 a.m. Pacific time Friday at Ticketmaster.com.

— Headlining comics DeRay Davis and Brian Regan (a Las Vegas resident) are back at Palazzo Theatre on July 10 and July 11, respectively. Tickets on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at Ticketmaster.com.

— Southern country-rock band Whiskey Myers is PH Live on Aug. 14. Tickets on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at Ticketmaster.com.

— Three-time Grammy Award-winner Jill Scott is at The Pearl at the Palms on Aug. 15. The show is a stop on her “To Whom This May Concern” world tour. Tickets on sale at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Ticketmaster.com.

All shows are presented by Live Nation Las Vegas.

More ‘Illumination’

Malibu Barbie Cafe is shutting down inside the Illuminarium venue at Area15 on March 21, as scheduled. This follows the closing of ““Wild,” “Space” and “Lite Brite” on Friday. To answer the question (which we’ve asked with multiplicity), “Rolling Stone Presents: Amplified, The Immersive Rock Experience” ended its run at the end of January. The show opened in March 2025.

Illuminarium continues to own the “Amplified,” and might run the show in Atlanta. The rock retrospective was also staged in Montreal until Feb. 15. But don’t count on it dropping the needle (as it were) again in Las Vegas.

The new iteration of Illuminarium is AYA Universe, the venue being renamed for the show. This is an experience-based concept, with the company less focused on projection-mapped productions in its next projects.

Coupled with the late-January closing of “The New Immersive Van Gogh: The Next Chapter” at The Shops at Crystals, this move might arrest the trend of projection attractions in VegasVille.

Tease this …

Hearing a vino-inspired concept might be coming into an Area15 venue. Perhaps I’ve left a clue. But keep checking back, and cheers!

Cool Hang Alert

For the first time in a long time, Checkmates legend Sonny Charles will take the stage in Las Vegas. He’s a guest on “The Dennis Bono Show” at 2 p.m. Thursday at South Point Showroom. Go dennisbono.com for intel.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.