Reflections On the Juanes Concert For Peace In Cuba

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Reflections On the Juanes Concert For Peace In Cuba

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uploaded by Roberto Alvarez-Galloso

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  uploaded by Roberto Alvarez-Galloso | add comment

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  uploaded by Roberto Alvarez-Galloso | add comment

The City of Miami Florida and La Habana Cuba were witness to a historical occasion with the television and radio on both sides of the Florida Straits broadcasting the Concert For Peace in Cuba given by Juanes.

In Miami, not everyone was happy and expressed it in a demonstration near the Versailles Restaurant. The people held placards that stated that Juanes was an "International Guerilla Fighter without Borders". Other placards condemned Olga Ta~non and other singers who participated in the concert.

The demonstrators even had a steamroller to destroy the CDs of the artists who were involved in the concert. They also faced counter demonstrators who had placards saying "Yes Juanes No Fidel" which were ripped from them. The demonstrators who were Anti Juanes had permission from the City of Miami while the Pro Juanes Camp did not.

The Anti Juanes asked the police not to move them while the Pro Juanes were crossing into their side. The photos taken by the underwriter can reflect the tensions of the moment. Afterwards, the underwriter decided to watch the concert on television and offer a critique.

Olga Ta~non the international merengue star started the concert with some of her greatest hits. The people were dancing and overjoyed with the music and the singer especially when she challenged the public to think about love and charity. She also warned people not to push others [since this was happening in the concert], drink a lot of water [excessive heat], and she threw her hat to the public. Olga Ta~non deserves a 5/5 for her performance.

X Alfonso is one of the Cuban Stars who managed to capture the attention and hearts of those in the concert. His movements in the concert were a mixture of rock, funk, jazz, and rap all rolled into one. His best song "Revolution" mixed with some songs interpreted by Michael Jackson made for great dancing and singing. His performance earned him a 5/5.

Danny Rivera made an attempt to interpret classic boleros but his voice was incompatible with the loudspeakers. He was able to defend himself with "Yo Quiero Un Pueblo" [I Want A People] and gain a 4/5.

Juan Fernando Velasco who is an Ecuatorian Singer Songwriter and a favorite of Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa was not expressive in his singing. He earned a 1/5 with other singers such as Amaury Perez, Miguel Bose, Luis Eduardo Aute, and Victor Manuel since their singing left much to be desired. Maybe it is because the underwriter prefers a more percussive sound.

Silvio Rodriguez was anothe participant although I am willing to give him high marks for instrumentation. Again, the preference is more percussion so he receives a 3/5. Carlos Varela deserves special mention with his interpretation of music with a relativistic nature with a 3.5/5.

Juanes was another one of the artists [along with Olga Ta~non and X Alfonso] who stole the show even though he was the intellectual author. His rendition of "Camisa Negra" [Black Shirt] and his words of "Cuba Libre" [Free Cuba] was an exiting moment and the public was more than thirlled. He also challenged people to be more loving and caring of each other. He deserves a 5/5.

Orisha and Los Van Van closed the concert with what is true percussion. The underwriter felt the blood rushing through his veins as he felt the rhythm of the music. Los Van Van and their rendition of "Muevete" [Move It] was one of the greatest songs in the concerts. Everyone was moving including Olga Ta~non and Juanes. Los Van Van closed the concert with "Chan Chan" a composition by Compay Segundo with everyone singing and Olga Ta~non visibly moved.

Orisha and Los Van Van deserve a 5/5 and the concert deserves the same classification. This is going to be one of the unforgettable concerts of the 21st Century.