The kings of bachata reunited to close out the second night of Romeo Santos’ sold-out Yankee Stadium concerts on Saturday.
Santos, the self-proclaimed king of bachata, surprised nearly 50,000 fans as his former group members of Aventura joined him on stage to perform the hits that made them one of the top Latin groups in the world.
“Are you guys ready for tonight?” shouted Santos, who greeted the trio on stage with hugs sending fans into a screaming frenzy. “Let’s make history!”
And they did.
The popular bachata band, comprised of cousins Romeo and Henry Santos and brothers Lenny and Max Santos, hit the stage shortly before midnight, performing several songs, including “No lo Perdona Dios,” “Amor de Madre” and “Alexandra.”
It was their first performance since announcing their split three years ago.
The group, formed 20 years ago while they were teens living in the Bronx, made history as the first Latin group to headline four dates in a single run at Madison Square Garden in 2010. Their final album, “The Last,” released in 2009, spent 23 weeks at the top of the Latin Billboard chart.
The boy band reunion wasn’t the only surprise of the night.
Marc Anthony joined Santos on stage as they performed “Yo Tambien” from Santos’ “Formula, Vol. 2” album. Anthony went on to perform his big hit, “Vivir Mi Vida” as the standing crowd danced in the stadium aisles and sang along.
Former Yankee Bernie Williams returned to centerfield, but this time he was on stage in the same spot where he played 16 seasons for the Bronx Bombers. He played guitar alongside Santos on his song, “Necio,” playing the part of Carlos Santana, who is featured on the album version of the song.
And Latin pop star Prince Royce, also from the Bronx, joined Santos for “Odio,” filling in for Drake, who is featured on the song.
The Yankee Stadium shows on Friday and Saturday — which drew roughly 85,000 across both nights — made Santos the first Latin music act to headline a concert at the current Yankee Stadium, and the first to do so at any of the New York Yankees’ homes since the legendary Fania All-Stars four decades ago. The shows also had most the tickets sold for any concert run at the stadium, a spokesman for the concerts said.
The success of the stadiun shows should be no surprise.
Santos, who got his start as the lead singer of Aventura, had the top-selling Latin album through the first half of 2014, according to Nielsen SoundScan, shipping 193,000 copies since its Feb. 25 release.
The night also served as a homecoming for Santos, who was born in the Bronx and raised not far from the stadium on Gerard Ave. between 157th and 158th Sts.
Fans will now wait to see if Aventura reunites again for another album.
