Norah Jones Bows Out of Her Havana Concerts
The invitations and promotions for the two shows that she was going to offer in Havana have disappeared from her official pages
HAVANA TIMES – United States recording artist Norah Jones, who had scheduled two shows next February in Havana, has canceled her concerts. The news was confirmed to the independent press by the agency Dreamcatcher Events, in charge of organizing the show.
“Norah decided to cancel,” Danny Heaps, founder and manager of the agency, responded to Diario de Cuba without giving more details. He also offered his apologies to those who had already planned to attend the event.
The cancellation of Jones’ concerts ruins the tourist packages that several companies offered to US tourists – for up to $8,600 – for a four-day, all-inclusive experience at the Grand Aston Hotel in Havana, with tickets to the artist’s presentations on February 17 and 18 at the Teatro Martí.
The rumor about Jones’ absence had spread days earlier, when several users noticed that the promotions and invitations to the event, published on the singer’s networks, the reservation website and the Dreamcatcher Events profile, had been withdrawn.
The concerts, according to what appeared on the event’s website – which now redirects users to the main page of Dreamcatcher Events – would be part of the Norah Jones: Live in Havana program, in which Cuban musicians such as Alain Perez and the group Synthesis would also participate.
“I hope to learn more about the country’s rich musical heritage and share my music through two shows at the historic Martí Theater,” Jones wrote then in a post that has been removed from her wall.
The announcement at the beginning of November about the artist’s first concerts on the island caused controversy among Cubans abroad, many who questioned Jones for performing in “a country that violates human rights” and where much the money the events generate will end up in the hands of the regime.
Cancellations of renowned artists at scheduled events in Cuba have become more frequent in recent years, when Cuba has suffered the debacle of its international reputation after ramped up repression. Musicians such as the Spanish duo Andy y Lucas, the composer Alex Ubago and the US rapper Arcangel have been several of the most notable absences on Cuban stages in recent years.