SERIES "DO YOU REMEMBER?" · MEMORY
What happened to Los Tigres del Norte?
They are still playing. That is the first thing to say: Los Tigres del Norte are still playing, and this Saturday, October 17 at 8 PM they take the stage at the Honda Center in Anaheim with their "Los Tigres Del Mundo Tour". Tickets are on Ticketmaster.
Remember Los Tigres del Norte? The short version: in 1968 three teenage brothers crossed north from a tiny ranch town in Sinaloa, played for inmates at a prison south of San Jose, and an immigration officer nicknamed them the "Little Tigers". They never stopped. Fifty-eight years, 7 Grammys, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and songs that became the soundtrack of millions of families. Here is what they are doing in 2026, with verified facts.
An immigration officer gave them their name
Jorge, Hernán and Raúl Hernández were from Rosa Morada, a small ranch town in the municipality of Mocorito, Sinaloa. In 1968, still teenagers, they crossed north and ended up playing for the inmates of a state prison south of San Jose, California. An immigration officer heard them, gave them a break, and introduced them as the "Little Tigers".
Think about that for a second. An immigration officer gave them their name. And that name ended up on a Hollywood star.
Today the band is led by Jorge (leader, vocals and accordion), his brothers Hernán, Eduardo and Luis, and their cousin Óscar Lara on drums. Raúl, another of the founders, left in 1996.
"Contrabando y traición": the corrido that launched them
In the early 1970s they recorded the corrido about Emilio Varela and Camelia la Texana. "Contrabando y traición" was their breakout: the story of two traffickers who came to a bad end played everywhere and put Los Tigres on the map of corridos and norteño music.
And then came what nobody else dared to sing. "La jaula de oro": the immigrant who has everything except freedom. "La puerta negra". "Los héroes paisanos". "Mis dos patrias". They sang what people lived in silence, and that is never forgotten.
What history has already given them
The numbers, quick: 7 Grammy Awards — no other norteño group has won that many. A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 21, 2014, the first norteño act to get one. About 50 studio albums and a repertoire of more than 500 songs. According to BMI, more number-one albums and more number-one singles than any other group in their genre.
And my favorite fact: in April 2018 they were the only band California's prison system ever opened a prison for. Folsom State Prison, 50 years after Johnny Cash's concert in that same place in 1968. Netflix turned it into a documentary in September 2019. From playing for inmates in 1968 to the Folsom concert in 2018: the story closed in a circle.
Los Tigres in 2026
They do not live off nostalgia. On October 2 of this year they headlined the 39th Hispanic Heritage Awards, broadcast on PBS. NPR put them on the "El Tiny" 2026 lineup, its Spanish-language session series. And the tour does not stop: this very week they play Friday the 16th in Bakersfield, Saturday the 17th at the Honda Center in Anaheim and Sunday the 18th in Fresno. Then come Glendale (October 24), Palm Desert (November 13) and San Diego (November 14).
Jorge's accordion is still playing. After 58 years.
If you want to see them in person
This Saturday, October 17, 8 PM, Honda Center in Anaheim, "Los Tigres Del Mundo Tour". Tickets on Ticketmaster. If you miss it, they also play Sunday the 18th in Fresno, plus Palm Desert and San Diego in November.
And if what you are looking for is a live-music plan on a tighter budget, check the Honda Center concerts guide or the Latino Carnaval 2026, free concert. Nostalgia is better in good company.
SOURCES CHECKED ON OCTOBER 12, 2026Live listing on Ticketmaster: Honda Center Oct 17, Bakersfield Oct 16, Fresno Oct 18 (Ticketmaster) →
Official event page on the Honda Center website (OCVIBE) →
Origins, members, discography and Grammys (English Wikipedia) →
1968 origin and the "Little Tigers" name (US Congressional Record, Sen. Padilla tribute, 2024) →
24 No. 1 albums and 50 No. 1 singles (BMI) →
"Seven-time GRAMMY winners" and headliners of the 39th Hispanic Heritage Awards on PBS (Hispanic Heritage Foundation) →
NPR "El Tiny" 2026 lineup (Remezcla) →
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