Los Bukis Bassist ‘Chivo’ Cortez ‘Okay’ After Suffering ‘Minor Fracture’ During L.A. Show
“Que nos canten otra” — “Let’s have them sing us another” — chuckled a middle-aged señora, heels in hand, as she made her way out of the L.A. Memorial Coliseum Thursday night, Aug. 18. The clock was nearing midnight, and legendary Mexican band Los Bukis had just walked — or in the case of one member, rolled — off stage following a 33-song set filled with their romantic ballads and danceable cumbias.
The show had just one slight hiccup after bassist Eusebio “El Chivo” Cortez — known for his onstage antics and eccentric dancing — fell during their cowboy hat-donning performance of “Morenita.” After a series of high kicks, the 64-year-old twisted his ankle and fell. “Con que no se nos desarme El Chivo,” said Marco Antonio on stage. “Let’s not have Chivo break on us,” as the crowd started chanting his nickname, the word for “goat” in Spanish.
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Eusebio "El Chivo" Cortez sufrió una "fractura menor" al caerse durante la presentación de Los Bukis en Los Ángeles, confirma @RollingStone.
A pesar del incidente, el bajista continuó con el show sentado. Se espera que se recupere para el show del sábado. pic.twitter.com/e8c1835mFJ— Tomás Mier (@Tomas_Mier) August 19, 2022
On Friday, a rep for Los Bukis told Rolling Stone that the bassist is “on the mend” after suffering a “minor fracture” and a sprained ankle. “Thank God I am okay. These things happen,” Cortez tells Rolling Stone in a statement. “Thank you to our fans for their love and support. I have a day to rest today which will help me recuperate so I can be with all of you at the show tomorrow.”
Despite the incident, the night was drenched in reminiscence and romance as the seven-person band — comprising Marco Antonio, Javier, and Joel Solís, Pepe and Roberto Guadarrama, Pedro Sánchez, and Cortez — performed their greatest hits and fan-favorite deep-cuts in front of 50,000 fans, according to data from LiveNation.
After his fall, Cortez performed in visible pain, seated for the remaining 15 songs, including classic “Tu Cárcel.” For the final four encore songs — including “Loco Por Ti” and “Si Vieras Cuanto” — he took the stage in a wheelchair. “I’d like to give an ovation to Chivo for his professionalism, despite this incident. Respect, my brother,” said Solís.
Los Bukis announced their reunion after 25 years last summer. At the time, they told People they had no plans to re-release any songs or make new music, but hinted onstage Thursday that they were working on an album. “I don’t know when we’ll see each other again, but there is someone who does,” said Marco Antonio, looking up. “If He says we should, we’ll see each other again.”
Originally founded in 1976, the group disbanded in 1996 as Marco Antonio built a successful career as a solo artist, earning five Latin Grammys, with songs like “Más Que Tu Amigo,” “¿A Dónde Vamos a Parar?” and “Si No Te Hubieras Ido.”
Meanwhile, the members of Los Bukis formed Los Mismos, or “The Same Ones,” tapping Pedro Velásquez — who attended Bukis’ show Thursday — to replace Marco Antonio as the new group’s frontman. “Thanks for being here,” Marco Antonio said, pointing him out in the crowd.
Along with a second L.A. show Saturday and a stop in Seattle later this month, the group will finalize their reunion tour with a massive show at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
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