Iconic Mexican rock-pop band Maná, honored last February with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, concludes its Latino Power Tour tonight November 19th, at the Honda Center in Anaheim. The timing of the tour was appropriate, just prior to the November elections, and the theme was important. More than ever before, Hispanics were urged to flex their muscles at the polls. The motivation, of course, was the threat of Donald Trump occupying the White House. It will be interesting to see what the band has to say tonight now that the election shock has settled in. Hopefully, the message won’t be too political, because this is a country deeply divided. That said, I’m certain that the band members will remain defiant.
“We have to keep our head up and continue to work,” the band’s lead vocalist Fher Olvera told Billboard Magazine.
The top selling Latino rock group of all time, Maná has long used its influence to address social issues. Olvera himself has been on the Trump attack for more than a year, using the Latin Grammys and an appearance with the band on Jimmy Kimmel Live as a platform to spread the word.
“He (Trump) said we were trash, and that people from Latin America and Mexico are rapists, thugs and drug dealers,” says Olvera, who has compared Trump to Adolf Hitler. “We pity this incompetent man.”
It can be said that a large part of Trump’s success as a political novice is that he speaks his own mind without hesitation. But it’s that reckless style which seems to always put him on the hot seat with Democrats and Republicans alike. Lately, “The Donald” has tried to take a softer stance against Hispanics, even saying that “many of them are good people.” Still, Trump remains at best an enigma within Latino communities, especially when plans to build a “huge wall” continue to be a top priority.
“Just remember that (Trump) has insulted our fathers and mothers,” continues Olvera. “So when you go out to vote, which is soon, you know what you have to do.”
Mana’s Latino Power Tour kicked off in Las Vegas on September 16th, which is Mexican Independence Day, and ends on November 19th in Anaheim.
