• Submitted by: admin
• Music
• personalities
• 04 / 16 / 2010

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The concert by Cuban pop-trova group Buena Fe scheduled for Thursday night at the Fillmore Miami Beach has been postponed to May 9th.

Promotor Hugo Cancio, who brought the group here in December, said the band had only just gotten their security clearance from the U.S. today, barely leaving him time to get the band in for soundcheck, much less promote the show.

Cancio didn't know why U.S. officials took so long to give the go-ahead to the popular trio, whom he says were cleared quickly in December, before doing an appearance at Little Havana's Manuel Artime Theater that left 500 people waiting outside.

But the longtime Cuban music promotor thought U.S. officials might have wanted to avoid any controversy that could have come from exile protests of Buena Fe's show happening almost simultaneously with Thursday's appearance by Barack Obama at a fundraiser at Gloria and Emilio Estefan's home on nearby Star Island.

Miguel Saavedra and Vigilia Mambisa, ever alert for any appearance of music from the island that might subvert the purity of exile opposition, had pulled a permit for a protest.

Indeed, this time around, Buena Fe's appearance looked similar to the situation with Omara Portuondo, whose March concert at the Fillmore was canceled due to a combination of political controversy and bad ticket sales.

Cancio seemed unfazed, and said a May show would allow him to promote the group's cd/dvd of appearances in the U.S.,La Otra Orilla, which he was releasing.

"Since I’m launching that I might as well postpone the concert for a later date," Cancio said Thursday, and said he still believed in the band.

"They’re the most popular band with Cuban youth, their lyrics criticize society in a very respectful manner. It's not political but social criticism. And they’ve been doing it for many many years."

Source: miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/