Charlie Smith
A SPANISH reggaeton star has seen his gig cancelled because he failed to wear a face mask at a food bank.
Omar Montes, 32, had been set to take part in the Costa del Sol’s ‘Marenostrum’ festival on July 12.
But the event in Fuengirola was axed by the Town Hall on Sunday night amid an argument over face masks.
It came after Montes and two mates chose not to wear face protection as they visited the town’s municipal food bank.
The maskless trio were snapped handing over an €1,000 giant cheque to two councillors who were both wearing masks.
The Madrid singer, who starred in Spanish reality TV show Survivors ‘ignored warnings over the mandatory use of masks’.
That is the allegation leveled in a joint statement by the Town Hall, sponsor Sik Silk, promoter Caviar Urban Music and the venue, Marenostrum Castle Park.
It read: “In the face of this unfriendly attitude and harmful example that for all, we believe that it is our moral obligation to suspend the concert scheduled for tonight.
“You cannot be lukewarm with these issues or tolerant with attitudes that harm everyone.”
But Montes hit back at the claims and said his gig had been cancelled because of ‘poor ticket sales’.
He said: “The promoter told me that sales were going very badly and that since they couldn’t exceed the capacity, they couldn’t pay me.”
The singer, who is known for hits Rueda and Alocao added that he had ‘never wanted to cancel’ the performance.
A spokesperson for Marenostrum – a venue overlooking the Sohail Castle – told Diario Sur that 77% of tickets had been sold.
Some 463 tickets out of 600 had been sold at the time of cancellation and Montes’ ‘uncivic attitude’ was given as the reason for cancellation.
Ticket-holders are understood to have since received full refunds.
Councillor for Culture of Fuengirola, Rodrigo Romero said: “I applaud the generous attitude of Omar Montes with the food bank, but you cannot do good by setting a bad example.”
This latest ‘coronavirus row’ comes after Montes was slammed for attending a party in Madrid with more than 100 people back in June when the Capital was still in Phase 2 of Spain’s COVID-19 exit plan.
In a bid to defend his latest controversy, over not wearing a mask, Montes added: “I am a chronic asthmatic.
“I have hay fever and severe allergies. Anyone who inadvertently hugs me can kill me. I am at a lot of risk.”
It comes as the Junta de Andalucia has imposed the mandatory wearing of masks for everyone aged six and above in the region from tomorrow.
