On Thursday March 19, 2026, I headed out of work early to catch the Gipsy Kings featuring Tonino Baliardo at the newly remodeled Henry J. Kaiser Performing Arts Center. It was an amazing show even though I only understood a few words.
When they came out on stage, everyone in the house knew that night was special. The Gipsy Kings are an international band that has broken into two factions, one featuring Tonino Baliardo and the other featuring Andre Reyes. I saw the first one, and it was stunning.
As I said, I didn’t understand most of what they said, but that was irrelevant. The music was that good. It started with a bang and just kept getting better. Starting with “Hables Mas”, they had the crowd clapping along, setting an amazing tone for the show. Before long, the crowd was out of their seats, dancing and being engulfed by the sound.
“Historia De Un Amor” was a classic love song that translated as “The Story Of A Love,” and that song was brilliant. The harmonious guitars were amazing, and the crowd all agreed. When they started “My Way,” I recognized it right off, even though it was in Spanish. There are those songs, and they did it right. The tone was excellent, and it was nice to hear a bit of English mixed in. It was a special song indeed.
By that time, the crowd had filled the aisles and every other spot up front, and were having a ball. They were enjoying themselves, and no one seemed to care. It was awesome. The next song was “Bem, Bem, Maria,” and that song had everyone dancing and singing along. It was an awesome end of the evening.
But, after a short break, they returned to the stage to perform a fantastic version of “Volare”. That song was the perfect ending for a beautiful night of music. It was a tremendous set that they had a ball playing, and we enjoyed every second of it.
Follow the Gipsy Kings featuring Tonino Baliardo band members on social media
Tonino Baliardo – lead guitar
Benji Baliardo (Cosso) – guitar
Mikael Baliardo – guitar, percussion, vocals
Jean-Claude Vila (Mounin) – lead vocals, guitar
Jean Samuel Rey (Same) – lead vocals
Jean Michel Kerwick (Miguel) – vocals, guitar
Follow Gipsy Kings Featuring Tonino Baliardo on social media
