Two bands, including Sunday night’s headliner Grupo Firme, were forced to cancel their sets at this weekend’s La Onda festival in Napa, because the Trump administration denied their visas over claims their music “glorifies cartel violence.”
This past weekend marked the second consecutive year that the Napa Expo complex played host to the Latin music-themed La Onda festival, organized by the folks behind Memorial Day weekend’s BottleRock. The lineup featured Latin pop, Spanish rock, reggaetón, mariachi, and rap, and maybe a little Lucha Libre wrestling. And this second year of the fest was largely a success, though not without a hitch, as KTVU reports that two bands had to cancel their sets because the Trump administration revoked their visas.
KTVU further reports the administration claimed their music “glorifies cartel violence.”
One of those cancellations was Sunday night's headliner, Sinaloan band Grupo Firme. You can see them still listed above as a headlining act on the festival’s website, but according to Rolling Stone, the group announced the cancellation Friday night.
“Grupo Firme and Música VIP’s visas are currently in an administrative process at the U.S. embassy, a situation that makes it impossible for Grupo Firme’s performance at La Onda Fest to go on as planned,” the band said in a statement picked up by Rolling Stone. “We will share news soon on our return to the US so we can see each other again and sing, dance, and celebrate together.”
Música VIP refers to the band's label, VIP Music Records.
Per KTVU, the Mexican group La Receta also had to cancel their Saturday afternoon set because of “reported visa issues.”
"They're not stealing anything, they come here to work," vocalist Vilma Diaz of the group Sonora Tropicana told KTVU. Sonora Tropicana was able to perform this weekend at La Onda.
"We are obviously disappointed that Grupo Firme was not able to play the festival due to visa issues," La Onda partner David Graham said in a statement to KTVU. "Our fans have been enjoying over two dozen incredible artists that are performing over the weekend. These are unprecedented and challenging times, and we remain committed to providing a memorable experience for fans of La Onda."
But this may be the chilling shape of things to come. Just last month, the Chicago-based Latin music festival Michelada Fest had to cancel the entire event that was scheduled for July, “due to the uncertainty surrounding artist visas and the rapidly changing political climate,” organizers said.
Related: At Least Two Detained In Unusual ICE Action at Federal Court In SF [SFist]
Image: @laondafest via Twitter
