LA CUBAFEST, Cuban Music Festival — When I was a kid (about 11 or so), my dad and one my uncles convinced each other that if they put together an event with punta music from a famous Hondurean group, in this one town where they loved punta, that they could possible triple or quadruple their investment in one single night! So, they did. I had a job that night, as a security guard of some sort... It was exciting! I heard radio commercials on the way to the venue, the stage was ready, the place was huge, and it seemed everyone knew about the event! Around 11 PM or 12 AM, I realized that perhaps the 5 people on the dance floor would be the only ones to ever show up to the concert? It was sad.

The next morning we find out that another town was having another concert with another punta group that was even more famous the next night, and I guess everyone either drove there, or was saving their money to go there. Anyway, harsh lesson for two businessmen who tried to get involved in something that they weren't really too familiar with. 

This past weekend, from pictures I've seen, the Colombian Festival was a true success! And from one comment a salsahook user left in my last L.A. Cuban Music Festival article, I guess the LA Cubafest might not have been so joyous and packed as the Colombian festival was. Add to that the infamous "Carmaggedon 405," which affected thousands of businesses in L.A., and I guess you get a drop in attendance that is very significant.

You see, the Colombian Festival was driving away from LA and Carmaggedon, and the CubanFest was driving into LA and about 5-10 miles away from the 405. Traffic was actually good around LA during this past weekend, but that's probably because everyone stayed home 'fearing' bad traffic...which caused, ironically, good traffic. 

Whatever the reasons why LA CUBAFEST was not so packed given the great names that it was showcasing, we at SalsaHook hope that they do not give up, and if they can, maybe they can put it together again next year and promote it a lot better too. 

I actually just happened to run across the information on a Timba site, and decided to share it on SalsaHook and even took the time to write an article for the event. From my postings on this site, a few hundred people or more might've also realized that the event was taking place, shared it on Facebook, or by email, or word of mouth, and so on. -- But nobody told me about the event... I didn't know it was happening until just a few weeks before it took place.

I feel I should've known about an event of this magnitude MONTHS before its planned date. How can Live Nation and/or the promoters in charge just put the event so quickly like that...kind of like 'winging' it? 

I personally LOVE Cuban music, and even though I did not attend this event, I tried helping out because of my true love for the genre. I am one of those who believes it was in Cuba, not Puerto Rico or New York, where the true Salsa we all love started. Without Cuba, there is no salsa, period. So, I decided to help and contribute a bit of my time and my website for the purpose of the promotion of what I considered a great event in the planning. 

Albita, Willy Chirino, Rey Ruiz, Hansel and Raúl, Celia Cruz All Stars... look at that lineup! It sure sounds like an event to not miss, right? One that without much promotion will undoubtfully turn out to be a massive success, right? -- Well, maybe that was the issue... The promoters might've believed that the names alone would bring in the crowds, and it wasn't so. Sadly for the musicians on-stage. 

So, what drove me to write this follow-up article on my previous LA CUBAFEST article was the comment I'm posting below, which I consider a great event review all in itself. This person writes REALLY WELL! I wish she or he would just create an Editor account in SalsaHook.com and write reviews for events, for bands, for our music, our culture, and our history! (hint, hint...whoever you are... ;P)

The user went by the simple initials "CM" and here is what he posted:

"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."

See what I mean? A great review all in itself! Thank you "CM" for writing this and I hope it was okay with you that I posted a follow-up article about the event based on your experience.

I hope we continue to have Cuban Music Events in Los Angeles, and that next time, people support more! Let's keep our roots and music alive!