Colombian rocker Juanes cancels a concert in Miami after Cuban exiles complained that the date coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion.
The gig was scheduled for April 15, at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, and will now be moved despite tickets having already gone on sale, RCN Radio reported Tuesday.
The Colombian singer’s representatives explained that they had not been aware of the date’s significance when booking the concert and that it had been the only date available.
“Cuban exiles are pressuring us and the sponsors not to do it … it’s not a date to celebrate in Miami,” said a spokesman. “The pressure is big.”
The Bay of Pigs was an unsuccessful invasion into Cuba by CIA-trained Cuban exiles attempting to overthrow Fidel Castro’s regime in April 1961.
It is not the first time that Juanes has come under scrutiny from Cuban exiles, notes the Associated Press. In 2009 he considered cancelling his “Peace Without Borders” show in Havana after similar criticism.
Ultimately the concert went ahead in front of a million-strong crowd, after he reasoned that he was bringing a message of peace to Cuba rather than demonstrating overt support for the Cuban government.
The rearranged concert date will be announced in the next few days.
