The band reopened the doors of Santa Laura Stadium after the venue's 15-year hiatus of hosting events of such great magnitude
Sold-out at Quinta Vergara, Viña del Mar  
Calle 13 at the Santa Laura Stadium in Santiago de Chile. Calle 13 at the Quinta Vergara in Viña del Mar.
(Photo courtesy of Ismael Cancel)
With each ticket, Calle 13 gave away a digital download card for its MultiViral album
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(San Juan, PR - March 18, 2014) - This past weekend, Calle 13 proved once again that it's moving forward steadily toward its goal of spreading MultiViral through its Latin American tour. Brothers "Residente" (René Pérez Joglar) and "Visitante" (Eduardo Cabra MartÃnez), front men of the Puerto Rican group, took control of both stages, backed by their impressive band and a new montage with graphics specially designed for their new presentations, enhanced by excellent lighting designs that, song after song, inflame the public wherever they go.
"Cumbia de los aburridos" (Cumbia for the bored), "Tango del pecado" (Sin Tango), "Calma pueblo" (Calm to the people), and "Baile de los pobres" (The dance of the poor [people]) couldn't be missed, always having the power to build up a real party. Similarly, everybody waited to hear "Latinoamérica" and "Pa'l Norte" (To the North), which undoubtedly always strike a chord in the public, no matter how many times they have heard these. In addition, and for the first time, the band performed live new songs from its album MultiViral, such as "Respira el momento," "Ojos color sol" (Sun-colored Eyes), featuring in the album the great Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio RodrÃguez; "Multi Viral" (featuring in the album Julian Assange, Israeli-Palestinian singer Kamilya Jubran, and a masterful guitar performance by guitarist Tom Morello), "El aguante" (Endurance) and "Adentro" (Inside), which Pérez Joglar presented as a personal piece that constitutes a powerful and strong criticism of rappers who promote violence and excesses.
During the double journey, "Residente" expressed his views on several causes, declared his unconditional support to the Mapuche people, exclaiming "Fuerza Mapuche," called for a "Patagonia sin represas" (Patagonia without dams) and dedicated, after a short introduction, the song "Pa'l Norte" to "those who live in a country and feel more as visitors than residents."
Moreover, in a gesture of great solidarity with political prisoner Oscar López Rivera, vocalist "Residente" denounced the situation of this Puerto Rican, who has been imprisoned 32 years in a United States penitentiary, a longer imprisonment than that of the recently deceased leader Nelson Mandela. It is worth noting that US President Barack Obama has expressed his great admiration for the courage and principles of Mandela, even though the United States keeps behind bars a Puerto Rican accused of what constitutes a thoughtcrime -seditious conspiracy- for fighting for Puerto Rico's decolonization and liberation.
 
To the left: The crowd's reaction was immediate, and the Santa Laura Stadium lit up in support for the Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar López Rivera. To the right: A completely lit-up Quinta Vergara in solidarity with Oscar López Rivera, who has been imprisoned longer than Nelson Mandela ever was. (Photos courtesy of Ismael Cancel)
Calle 13 will continue its MultiViral Tour throughout March in Mendoza, Argentina (20); Montevideo, Uruguay (23); and the Vive Latino Festival, in Mexico City (29). The band will continue to announce the next confirmed dates that will extend its Latin America tour until May this year.
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