The show opened up with the Celia Cruz All Stars, but no one on the dancefloor. I figured, "Everyone is on Cuban time, but they'll get here." Apparently the promoters got nervous, so they invited people to come down to the dancefloor (also known as "The Pit").

The Celia Cruz All Stars performed a great set, yet the Gibson Amphitheatre, which is already a small-enough venue, was still empty.

Next comes Albita. What an electrifying, amazing performer. She came out in a dazzling, white outfit and looked like an angel on the stage. She never disappoints, but why did she come out second?

So, Albita finishes her awesome set, they rearrange some of the instruments, and out walks Willy Chirino. WHAT? Why is Willy playing THIRD, isn't he the headliner? Well, let's still enjoy it. He played many of his beloved favorites, had a touching duet with his daughter and then surprised the crowd with the best trumpeteer in the business, Arturo Sandoval. Guess what? The Gibson Amphitheatre is STILL empty! What a shame...

Willy finishes his set, some more stage rearranging happens, and out come Hansel y Raul. Hansel jokingly sings, "Todo el mundo..." and the small crowd responds, but that's the problem, it was a small crowd. They play their set, again playing some of our favorite, beloved songs. They sound great, look great & were really a treat. (I had never seen them before.)

Finally, it's time to close the show. Let's bring this one home with a bang... and out comes our Cuban crooner, Rey Ruiz. Really? To close out a show? My dear friend just loves him and yes, he's handsome and has a great voice, but even she said that having Rey Ruiz close out the show was a "buzz-kill." He played maybe 3, 4 at most, of his ballads and then the show was over. How do you end with a smooth crooner instead of with the fire that Albita brings to the stage or your biggest name, Willy Chirino?

I don't know what happened. Maybe Willy and Albita just wanted to go to their hotel rooms because the turnout was so poor. Don't get me wrong, I had a great time with my friends. We danced, drank over-priced drinks and shared a wonderful evening together. But, when the people who paid $30 for tickets are moved down into the $75 ticket section because they needed people to fill space in the high-priced section, you know the promoters didn't do their job. Wait, I've got another one for you... When the pit (dancefloor) is filled with people who are NOT wearing wristbands (yours truly included), and when you know that the people who DID buy wristbands paid about $125 per ticket, then you know something is really wrong.

Contrary to popular belief, there is a strong Cuban presence in Los Angeles. Somehow, there was a huge disconnect and the promoters did not do a good job. They should have been in newspapers, on the radio and at Cuban festivals selling their tickets. There's no excuse and please, don't blame "Carmageddon" for the lack of attendance.

I'll close with this: My fellow Cuban Angelenos, if you didn't go, you really missed out. Next time, dejen de comer m*erda and get your tickets and go enjoy some of our best musicians. Then again, there may never be a next time thanks to the poor promotion and poor attendance.