by Matt Haldane â€" Jun. 11, 2011 01:11 AMThe Arizona Republic-12 News Breaking News Team
Demonstrators gathered outside US Airways Center on Friday evening to protest Mexican music icon Vicente Fernandez and his tour sponsored by Budweiser.
Puente, a human rights group, showed up after organizing a boycott against the event. They gathered in lines along the pathway leading up to the main entrance, shouting chants led by men with megaphones.
“It’s very sad that an artist like Vicente is a sellout,†said Anayanse Garza, a protestor.
Protestors’ concern comes from the fact that a large distributor of Budweiser in Arizona, Hensley & Co., is owned by Cindy McCain, Senator John McCain’s wife. Protestors believe the money received from events like those put on by Fernandez could come back to support controversial legislation like SB 1070, Arizona’s controversial illegal immigration law.
Arizona’s immigration law makes it a state crime to be in the country illegally. It states that an officer engaged in a lawful stop, detention or arrest shall, when practicable, ask about a person’s legal status when reasonable suspicion exists that the person is in the U.S. illegally.
The law has sparked nation-wide protest because some perceive it to target people based on race. This is why Puente has also called on musicians to boycott Arizona by not performing in the state.
In spite of the protest and organized boycott, crowds of attendees shuffled past the protestors chanting on either side of them for a chance to see the man one protestor likened to Frank Sinatra, each being musical legends in their respective countries.
Geraldine Villela, an attendee, said she has not been following the politics of the protest or SB 1070. “Whatever (Fernandez) is supporting, I want to see him,†she said.
Arturo Ortiz said he was attending the concert to show “support for our artist.†He added that he sympathizes with the protestors and that he believes “it’s a little hypocritical of Budweiser†to use money raised by a Mexican artist to support politicians who in turn support legislation like SB 1070.
Some protestors were also Fernandez fans. “I want to go inside, too,†Pablo Torrez said, but his feelings about how the money is being used kept him from doing so.
“A lot of people grew up listening to his songs,†Garza said. However, she sees the sacrifice of giving money to Fernandez and Budweiser as too great, she added.
Fernandez rose to fame in the ’60s and has since received several gold and platinum awards. He is commonly referred to “El Rey†(The King). Fernandez has also come to be known for theatrical performances in concerts that often go as long as three hours. He is most widely known for his song “Volver, Volver†and his records have sold over 50 million copies worldwide, according to allmusic.com.
Staff writer Ed Masley contributed to this report.
Tags: Airways, Center, Central.com, concert, Demonstrators, Musicians, protest â€"
0 comments:
Post a Comment