When Peso Pluma finally walked off the Main Stage at the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, it was clear that his set was a complete and utter triumph. It was stunningly theatrical, with flames, expansive screens displaying arresting visuals, a seven piece band and a synchronized group of black-clad dancers hyping up the young popstar at every turn. Fans were entranced by the narrative-driven show, which included homages to Corridos musicians of the past and both addressed and celebrated the complicated subset of Mexican culture that Peso Pluma grew up in, all narrated by powerful voice overs from none other than Morgan Freeman himself. 

The Mexican singer has Amber Rimell and Bronski, the two British creative directors that make up TAWBOX, to thank for the visual and atmospheric wonder that had thousands of festival-goers jumping, screaming and singing in a Peso Pluma-induced frenzy. TAWBOX, who do everything from conceptualization, creative direction, production design and choreography, have been widely recognized as being responsible for some of the most iconic live performances in the modern music industry, including Stormzy’s 2019 headline show at Glastonbury and Dave’s 2020 BRITs performance. They’ve made a name for themselves as a duo who conjure up incredible feats of technology, who have their fingers firmly on the pulse of culture and who have no fear of limitations. 

Clearly, Peso Pluma and TAWBOX are enjoying their creative partnership, since TAWBOX is also responsible for the direction of the musician’s ongoing arena tour for Éxodo, his fourth studio album. By building on the foundation of the Coachella set and working with Peso Pluma to produce a story—complete with five different acts and Andrés de Fonollosa as a narrator—rather than just a concert, they’ve somehow, impossibly, wonderfully managed to blow their own artistry out of the water. It’s the kind of setup that is just so impressive that it begs a deeper dive, so we spoke to Amber Rimell and Bronski about the challenges and intricacies of putting on a show of this size, the importance of weaving a narrative and what it is to work with an anti-hero.

The hero's journey is relatively predictable. How does the antihero subvert the hero's journey, and how does he find himself retracing the hero's footsteps?

Bronski: Peso has really taken to what his character can be for each of his projects. For Genesis, there was a focus on double p, like Peter Parker (Spiderman). Double P featured heavily as his initials and as a reference to Peter Parker. With that brought the strong spider references as a part of his storytelling. And with Genesis, Peso had gone global, dominated streaming charts, and much more. He had knocked down doors for traditional Mexican music.

So with this, Éxodo is basically the next chapter.  And where there are negative connotations with Corridos, Peso related more to Batman. But not Batman the superhero we all initially think of, cape and bat suit…more so Bruce Wayne…the troubled protagonist, who is not always seen in the best of lights, who has dark secrets and success, but who ultimately can rise up, and push through to dominate for greater good. So with this, we have got to explore pop culture, alongside the traditional. One of the strong images from the Éxodo campaign features the door. Significant to the journey he is having, as well as Corridos and Mexican Traditional music. He will lead Corridos on its progression as its anti-hero.

What is the significance of each of the 5 acts? How did you arrive at these names?

Bronski: It was important for us to establish an arc for the show. Peso had some strong ideas and was very excited for there to be different acts. Anti-Hero, Luna, Renaissance, Solo, Last Supper. The names came from the mood of each act, and how Peso was excited for this project to be explored. The anti-hero lives at the heart of the whole show, and Act 1 allows us to develop the character. Act 2, Luna was perfect to reflect the dark tone, the softer light, and the slower tempo. Renaissance as Act 3 allowed exploration of character, and a more classical portrayal of reggaeton. Solo reveals a more exposed character, and we bring Peso into the band right into the middle of the arena. The Last Supper serves as an ending and a new beginning. Powerful imagery and togetherness.

The Exodus Tour has a lot of moving parts. What attracts you about directing deeply complex shows like this one?

Amber: First and foremost I think we love a challenge to get our teeth into. Having a stage that has layers to it excites us in adding detail to a show. Having the palette to create risks and wows is important to us and makes every show unique to that artist. Éxodo has many layers as does Peso as an artist which all align in creating complex shows. It’s also really enjoyable!!

Why was it so integral to weave cultural homages, especially to the complicated world of corridos and Pluma’s heritage, into this show? How did you tackle a delicate task like that?

Amber: Asking questions and doing a lot of research!! The team bought us into the project because of our expertise in creating cultural moments—Stormzy headlining Glastonbury 2019, and Dave performing at the Brit Awards in 2020. We think it’s important to share and be proud of the culture within a show and to reference where it all began.

Bronski: We have to be true to the artist, the music, and the culture. Sometimes we know where the line is, sometimes an artist will very clearly paint it. Up to that line…How can we educate and entertain? How can we ask questions? How can we capture the imagination?  We have always made it a huge priority for us to have a real pulse on our shows. We understand that over 90 to 120 minutes, the artist has the audience on a journey. We have to have highs and lows. A pulse doesn’t always have to be dictated by tempo, because it’s even better when it’s dictated by emotion.

How did the collaboration with Andrés de Fonollosa come to be?  

Bronski: For both Coachella and the tour, Peso was really into the idea of having the interstitials narrated by iconic voices. For Coachella, we had Morgan Freeman, and for the tour, Andrés de Fonollosa, known very well for playing Berlin in La Casa de Papel (Money Heist). Peso resonated with not just Andre’s tone, but also the complexity of the character Berlin. So, it was a natural fit. Andrés got into the script too and added some of his flavor to the storytelling and delivery.

How did the synthesis of the Exodus Tour change your personal ways of working? What have you most enjoyed about working with Peso Pluma?

Amber: The power and passion of Corridos music has been a real highlight, the live band are incredible.

Bronski: Absolutely. It’s rare that we work with a band that is 1000% live. No click tracks and pro tools additional programming running alongside. Parka (tololoche player) counts the band in and go!! If Peso wants to repeat the last chorus with the band and the audience… it fucking happens. It’s rock’n’fuckin’roll.

Peso himself, is a bonafide fucking rock star. Genuinely he is ridiculous. Captivating, energetic, powerful. He wants the audience to always have the most elevated and unique experience. He tweaks the setlist to always give something special. He is always IN the moment with the audience. And he commands a whole arena with ease. His stage presence is larger than life. And that is a huge blessing for us. We feed from it too.

If you had 30 seconds to describe the Exodus tour to someone, what would you say?

Amber: It’s a wild journey of a very passionate and talented artist who is bringing Corridos music to the forefront and opening doors to future generations of Corridos. Peso’s energy is infectious, he’s a man of the people.

‍You were also responsible for directing Peso Pluma’s phenomenal Coachella debut this year. How did the Coachella show help inform the tour?

Amber: Coachella was amazing, the end of the show was the start of Éxodo, we already knew where we were going ahead of time so it was really about celebrating Mexican Corridos on a world stage for everyone to see and be proud of which led us to Éxodo. Peso exited the stage with the people following, whilst surrounded by imagery of other Mexican traditional legends.  He was leading the people to the tour, Éxodo.

What do you feel as you watch this tour unfold? How does it differ from your other work?

Bronski: We are fortunate to work with different artists and different genres. The vastly live element of Peso Pluma and Corridos has been exciting. Peso’s energy and stamina are also something that is compelling. The show feels ALIVE. It feels dangerous. It has acts, and a narrative, but also feels like it can have a twist at any moment. So, for us, it’s the closest we have come to living on the edge. And we are fucking here for it.

Images courtesy of John Rodriguez.