Juanes
opened Cuba to the world
...and Olga Tañón and Danny Rivera were right there with
him in front of nearly 1.2 million cheering
concertgoers, which according to organizers, is a
record-breaking turnout that will likely mark a page in
Cuba’s musical history.
Under a broiling Havana sun and before a sea of waving
international flags, Puerto Rican singers called for
peace and unity during their performances before
hundreds of thousands of fans in Juanes’ second “Peace
Without Borders” concert on Sunday in Cuba.Kicking off
the highly anticipated mega production — which began at
2 p.m. and was aired live from Havana’s Revolution
square on Channel 13, SíTV (Ana G. Méndez) and HITN TV —
was “La Mujer de Fuego,” whose opening act included her
hits “Es mentiroso,” “Muchacho malo” and “Bandolero,”
among others.
“I came here to give happiness to the hearts and souls
of all Cubans and to remind them that there are a lot of
people in the world who think about them and Cuba,” said
Tañón as she held back tears after telling a young girl
in the audience that her father, whom she hasn’t seen in
20 years, sent her a kiss.
“This is the first time that a concert like this is held
in Havana, Cuba. This is also the first time that we
have to remember that we’re opening the doors to the
world. You’re staying with a piece of my heart. I’ll
never forget Cuba, may God’s grace and peace rest upon
you all,” she added after wrapping up her 30-minute set.
Tañón, a multiple Grammy winning artist whose successful
recording career spans over two decades, arrived in
Havana on Friday to hand out medicines and food to
Cubans.
While he only performed three songs, Danny Rivera wowed
the jammed-packed audience with three of his top hits,
“Madrigal,” “Amar o morir” and the socially-charged “Mi
pueblo,” a crowd pleaser.
“Peace is a sensation of a sublime moment after fighting
for justice and for those who want peace,” said Rivera.
“Our souls and our passions cross borders,” he added.
For his part, the Colombian rocker — who performed “A
Dios le pido” and “La camisa negra” (among others) —
opened his set saying “this is the most beautiful dream
of peace and love that I have been able to experience
after my children.”
“In the end, we’re all brothers and music has to be free
to fly in the air . . . we came here for love,
brothers,” he
added, while urging Cuba’s youth to work for love and
support change for the better, as he sang his hit song
“It’s Time to Change”.
Meanwhile, Miguel Bosé, who Juanes called instrumental
in making the concert come true, began his set saying
that “conflicts are no good” and “we’re all here making
the dream of peace, of love and of solidarity come true
. . . we all are brothers.”
The Spanish pop singer performed “Si tú no vuelves” and
“Amante bandido,” to name a few and performed his song
“Nada particular,” which he claimed he composed with
Cuba in mind, in a moving duet with Juanes.
Other performers included Luis Eduardo Aute, Víctor
Manuel, Carlos Varela, Los VanVan, Cucu Diamantes &
Yerba Buena, Orishas and Italian Jovanotti, who infused
the stage with an energetic act that got Cubans riled
up.
A gray-haired and bearded Silvio Rodriguez, Cuba’s Nueva
Trova legend and one of the event’s most anticipated
acts, was allotted twenty minutes to perform, kicking
off with “El Escaramujo” and following with his anthemic
“Ojalá.”
Cuba’s iconic salsa ensemble Los Van Van closed the
four-hour show that was covered by at least 160
accredited international media outlets, with a swinging
and extended version of “Muévete” and a collective
good-bye song that brought together all the artists
onstage, a feat that brought tears to Tañón, Bosé and
Juanes as they hugged each other and made a universal
call for world peace.
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