The mexican rock band, Maná, besides beginning the night with one of their most popular songs Manda Una Señal from their album Amar es Combatir, contributed surprising and informational content.
Their presentation demonstrated the geographical area of Mexico and The United States the the transformation it went through between the years of 1824-1848, as the result of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
Also, that same presentation continued in the building of a brick wall between Mexico and The U.S. Those bricks, engraved on them, had the words cruelty, hate, xenophobia and racism. However, immediately after this took a turn for the better. The brick wall was knocked down as a flourishing ivy plant took its place.
The members of Maná, Fher Olvera (vocalist), Alex González (drummer), Juan Calleros (bassist), and Sergio VallÃn (guitarist), are currently celebrating their 30th anniversary. As customary, their attire was black jeans and t-shirt causal.
The band demonstrated their pride in their nationality and culture throughout the night; they proudly covered themselves with the mexican flag meanwhile being supportive of the many Latinos present at the Savemart Center. A culture that is shared by many, regardless of where you call home.
Apart from providing the audience with a vast repertoire of songs, Maná also went the extra mile by talking about Latino voting and environmental issues. Their goal was simple, perform some of their greatest hits and remind the Latino population of their needed participation at the polls this upcoming November election month.
Danielle Fernandez, a Fresno State Senior majoring in psychology, said her favorite song is Eres mi Religión and even though it was not performed that night they were very much content since another one of their favorite songs was performed, Mariposa Traicionera, an all time fan favorite.
The audience was very diversified in regards to age and ethnicity. Children were present along with their parents. Furthermore, some of fans were not fluent in Spanish nor spoke the language; however, that was not a deterring issue since the rhythms of the songs are a language of their own, able to communicate the intended message.
The SolÃs family from Othello, Washington traveled by car the day before so they too could be part of the Latino Power Tour. During a short interview with the family they said they were in agreeance with Maná. They concur that the Latino vote is important and the participation from this group.
Veronica Ochoa, a spanish speaking women at the concert, said she usually does chores around the house while listening to Maná. In fact, her new favorite song from the band is Mi Verdad a duet with the Colombian singer songwriter Shakira. She and her friends seemed very enthusiastic before the concert commenced.
Finally, another song that resulted in having an important message was Dónde jugarán los Niños. What made this song stand out was the use of neon green gas masks during the performance. The purpose, to address the current environmental issues affecting not only us but also our children and the generations still to come.