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ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Pepe Aguilar feels for illustration a superhero erstwhile he puts connected his charro suit. But dissimilar Superman, Aguilar’s powerfulness isn’t supernatural aliases otherworldly; it’s his emotion for his civilization and his determination to observe Mexico done his art.
The Grammy-award winning creator says he’s proud of his heritage and wants others to “feel proud of thing truthful great.” His latest circuit is simply a testament to this, celebrating his family and nan fans who watched him turn into a family fable crossed nan Mexican diaspora.
Last Friday night, nan Texas-born, Mexico-raised 55-year-old swooped into nan Honda Center successful Anaheim, California, connected apical of a majestic achromatic horse. Fans crossed generations waved Mexican flags, threw up their cowboy hats and fto retired thunderous applause arsenic Aguilar rode passim nan performance arena and began to singing “100% Mexicano,” his first capacity connected nan “Jaripeo: Hasta Los Huesos” tour.
The circuit is simply a blend of some Mexican rodeo and concert performances from Aguilar’s family. Fans tin bask group lists from two of Aguilar’s children, Leonardo Aguilar and Latin Grammy nominee Ángela Aguilar, on pinch Antonio Aguilar Jr., Aguilar’s older brother.
In betwixt each performance, assemblage members shouted astatine bull riding competitions, circus acts, folklórico dancers, and lasso throwers.
“Jaripeo: Hasta Los Huesos” continues Aguilar’s erstwhile tour, “Jaripeo Sin Fronteras, but takes connected a caller twist focusing connected the Day of nan Dead.
“I’m very proud of everything Mexico. The food, nan colors, nan traditions, nan culture, nan family, charrería, mariachi, tequila, don’t get maine started,” Aguilar told The Associated Press, laughing, earlier nan show. “And 1 of nan astir admirable traditions for maine is nan Day of nan Dead.”
But don’t you situation comparison it to Disney’s “Coco.”
“‘Coco’ would beryllium a small acrophobic of this Day of nan Dead,” he says.
Aguilar’s Day of nan Dead celebration included an altar, marigolds, plentifulness of skulls, papel picado, and moreover a fewer heartfelt moments remembering his precocious parents, legendary musicians and actors Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre. Aguilar and his relative grew up performing alongside their parents.
“What my begetter and mother started, backmost successful nan ‘60s, moreover earlier I was born, inspired what I’m doing here, but it’s still very different,” he says.
Ángela Aguilar amped up nan crowd correct earlier her father’s performance, riding successful astatine afloat velocity connected apical of a achromatic horse, wearing a agelong achromatic gown covered successful marigolds and performing immoderate fan-favorite hits including her screen of “La Llorona.”
“It’s beautiful cool to activity pinch your family, whether it’s an older procreation aliases a younger one,” Aguilar says. “For me, it’s a privilege to beryllium adjacent to nan group you emotion nan most.”
For Aguilar, his activity ever goes backmost to civilization and family. It’s not astir him. It’s astir amplifying nan sounds that specify his community.
“I mean, really tin I ever comparison my stupid, small irrelevant life to a bigger than thing civilization and contented arsenic Mexican music?” he asks.
Fans of what’s commonly referred to arsenic nan Aguilar Dynasty person loved Pepe since earlier he was born, proving it clip and clip again pinch sold-out shows and medium sales. Aguilar says that looking into nan assemblage — emotion their power and watching group singing his lyrics — ne'er gets old.
“Sometimes I sewage to deliberation astir thing other successful bid not to cry,” he says. “I person to ore many, many, galore times. I person to conscionable spell and attraction connected what I’m doing, different nan feelings footwear in, and I wouldn’t beryllium capable to sing.”
On opening night, Aguilar many times thanked nan crowd and moreover took nan clip to denote that, pinch nan adjacent day’s performance, he would go nan creator who has played nan astir shows astatine nan Honda Center.
“It fills maine pinch a batch of pridefulness that Mexican euphony is nan genre that has presented itself nan astir astatine nan Honda Center,” he said successful Spanish arsenic fans erupted successful a large cheer.
“It is for existent that I’m proud. It’s for existent that I cognize what I’m talking about,” Aguilar told nan AP. “I’m a nationalist charro champion, for Christ’s sake. I was calved connected a circuit retired of Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre. So, yeah, I conjecture I americium really Mexican. I’m very proud of what I show, and I want to show it much and much and much and much and much truthful group understand why I’m truthful proud.”
