Posted on 08/25/2008 3:24:51 AM PDT by stan_sipple
A predominantly Latino audience trickled into the half-filled venue as Jorge Hernandez, “El Guero (Blondie),” took the stage just after 7 p.m. Sunday at the Nebraska State Fair.
In contrast, people had packed around the fence surrounding the Open-Air Auditorium Friday before country musician Miranda Lambert had played her first note.
A capacity crowd of 6,200 had filled the benches on Friday, and 5,800 came Saturday to hear two other country artists.
Theories on why Sunday’s crowd was smaller and slower to form ranged from fear of immigration officials to the different cultural tradition of Latinos.
Hernandez, the performer, speculated on the fear, adding that his music is well known among Latinos in Nebraska.
“A lot of people are scared to keep on going to parties,” he said before the show.
A big reason, Hernandez said, is the chance — however slight — that there might be an immigration raid. Hernandez said he has seen it happen before.
His band, El Guero Y Su Banda Centenario, has a Billboard Top Ten hit. All five of the band’s albums have made it into the Top 20 on Billboard’s charts.
Hernandez says his tunes get plenty of radio play on Nebraska’s Spanish stations.
Don Adams, State Fair production manager, estimated Sunday’s crowd would peak at most at around 1,500 to 2,000 people.
About 15 minutes into Hernandez’s set, it was clear it hadn’t met the estimate.
The crowd had been sparse most of the day in the auditorium, reserved for Fiesta Latina, the fair’s Latino and Latin American cultural celebration.
Julie Burton, entertainment director for the fair, said last year’s Latino event more or less filled the auditorium.
Sunday night’s slowly gathering crowd wasn’t a surprise, she said.
“This audience seems to come more at their leisure, maybe, and stay longer,” Burton said.
Hernandez — a bilingual Mexican immigrant — agreed.
“I think it’s just a cultural thing,” he said, shrugging off the poor turnout.
Fair organizers try to find something for everyone, Burton said.
She expects today’s showing of Boyz II Men will appeal to audiences across both age and cultural boundaries and sell out easily.
That’s another 6,200 on the benches, plus those likely to gather near the fence.
“In this case,” Hernandez admitted before his show Sunday, “I don’t see a lot of people.”
Well boo hoo, Milli Vanilli wouldn’t get much of crowd either.
Maybe his music just sucks.
Or, maybe Americans are tired of having spanish shoved down their throats and simply didn't want to attend.
I'd go if it was Shakira... of course, I think she can do much better than the State Fair. ;)
I've looked. I can find no evidence of the raids at his "concerts". Although, some of the sites returned on the search are in spanish and I don't read it.
I call "bull". He's just trying to blame someone else for the lack if interest in his music.
So they can’t figure out why the English speaking crowd didn’t show up to listen to the Spanish songs?
Why is this so hard?
It’s racism of course.
How did I know from the title that his was going to be Bush’s fault? /s
I wouldn't go see her, either. Is she spanish?
Half Columbian and half Lebanese.
"Missed it by that much", Adams said later.
Odd combination. How did that happen?
“Odd combination. How did that happen?”
Well, first, you have rwo people who like each other a whole lot (or just a little). Then then man.......
I don't think many people realize the restraints imposed on ICE and other immigration related agencies by DHS and case law in this country.
ICE can serve a warrant on a house looking for an illegal involved in criminal activity and aren't allowed to ask others in the house about their citizenship.
BP can patrol a farm right on the border, but can't talk to the illegals working there. Those same illegals use those farms to smuggle drugs and people across the border.
Federal Law Enforcement in this country can only enforce laws within the legal precedence and regulations given by Congress in the Courts. Until that changes expect to see lots of illegals running around. Local law enforcement really help with one simple act. Call BP or ICE for "help with translation services" when they pick up an illegal.
any Boyz II Men fans afraid of an ICE raid?
Maybe his music just sucks.
____________________________________
BINGO
:)
if france had immigration laws like ours back in 1940, Hitler would not have needed to bother with the panzer divisions
Thanks for the good giggle this morning!
That's the only possible explanation for why there was a small turnout for a Latino singer at a country fair!
They should be dragged from their trailer parks and forced to participate in the diversity!
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