A concert by popular Mexican corrido singer Luis R. Conriquez ended in chaos on Friday night (April 11) when the musician announced that his performance at the Feria del Caballo in the State of Mexico would not include narcocorridos due to a ban on expressions that glorify violence implemented in several municipalities in the central region of the country.
The singer was performing at a “palenque” (a more intimate format at popular fairs) in the municipality of Texcoco, featuring covers of other artists and his own songs, when the audience booed him because the setlist did not include some of his most famous corridos — several of which have been criticized for allegedly glorifying drug trafficking. Upset attendees began jeering, throwing punches, and causing damage at the venue.
“There are no corridos. What do we do? Should I just go home instead?” Conriquez is heard saying to the audience in videos of the moment before the chaos erupted, which are circulating on social media.
Hours before the show, the musician had already warned his followers that narcocorridos would be removed from his setlist at the Texcoco Fair. “We’re entering a new phase, without corridos and all that. It feels bad not being able to sing what people want to hear, but we’re joining the cause of zero corridos and moving forward,” the singer said in an Instagram Story.
Although Conriquez tried to explain to the audience the reason for the absence of narcocorridos in the night’s repertoire, the angry crowd expressed their displeasure with boos and shouts and began throwing empty and drink-filled cups toward the stage, as can be seen in videos circulating on social media. In response to this reaction, Conriquez left the venue, which provoked a barrage of chairs and other objects.
“There are many people who don’t understand. They think we’re the ones setting the rules, but the truth is there won’t be any corridos at events from now on, for any artist, my people. Cheer up. I love you all. The people who truly support us will continue doing so, even if we’re playing bachata,” the Sonoran musician expressed in another Instagram Story hours before the show.
In Texcoco, along with two other municipalities in the State of Mexico (Metepec and Tejupilco), which neighbor the Mexican capital, expressions that glorify violence have been prohibited since April 9 following the implementation of a law targeting popular fairs and mass events, with sanctions of up to six months in prison, according to reports from newspaper Milenio.
So far, neither Texcoco authorities nor organizers of the Feria del Caballo have commented on the incident. Billboard Español has sent a requested for comment to Luis R Conriquez’s team but has not yet received a response.
The ban on narcocorridos in municipalities in the State of Mexico adds to similar measures in other regions of the country, following controversy sparked by the projection of images of a famous cartel leader at an auditorium of the University of Guadalajara in Jalisco on March 29 during a concert by the group Los Alegres del Barranco. This incident led to the U.S. revoking the work and tourist visas of the group’s members.
On Friday (April 11), the Jalisco government introduced a bill to reform the law against the glorification of crime in public or private performances. This initiative “empowers municipalities to regulate, and if necessary, prohibit and sanction musical groups that engage in any type of glorification of violence,” according to a post on X.
Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum, through the Secretary of Culture of the Mexican Government, announced this week the binational contest México Canta (Mexico Sings), which seeks to encourage young artists — especially those in the trending genre of corridos tumbados — to create songs that don’t glorify violence or drugs.
