Much has been said about the legend of Chuck Norris and his beard. In even more legendary stud status, the advertising world brought us “The Most Interesting Man in the World” representing the face of the Mexican beer Dos Equis.
However, not much is said about that man, , and his mustache and sombrero combination. I have heard — and keep in mind that itap hearsay, so the numbers vary — that Fernandez has given more rides on the first part of that facial-hair-and-sombrero combo than Hef has seen in 100 lifetimes. (I was also told that Dave Chappelle was about to do a true one of his infamous “True Hollywood Stories” spoofs on Fernandez before Chappelle dropped off the face of the earth, but that’s also speculation.)
Friday night saw the return of a Mexican legend with his touring partner, , who embodies the same symbolism that “Chente” (the nickname of Fernandez) represents for males, as she does for females.
Paquita la del Barrio, affectionately known as “Reyna de las Mujeres (Queen of the Ladies)” played a short yet effective set Friday night at the , paving the way for galloping Mexican headliner.
Paquita’s music and view on men isn’t a popular among the macho Mexican men, often provoking the male crowd to chant obscenities towards the feminist singer, who represented everything Alanis Morissette represented before Alanis Morissette was a household name.
Paquita’s hard-knock life translates into her music and her legacy for battered women to speak up for themselves and not to just turn the proverbial cheek. The peak of her 30-minute set saw her hitting her high notes on “Rata de Dos Patas (Rat with Two Feet)” (referring to the “two-timing cheaters”), as the females at a very crowded Pepsi Center scream in approval.
Paquita’s short set made way for a long night of classic Mexican Ranchera music from Fernandez that speaks to the hearts and souls of the many from south of the border. “Chente” dove right in with one of his all-time love classics with “Hasta la Tomba (To the Tomb),” which speaks of his tender love-til-death with a baritone that could carry easily through the arena without the help of a microphone (as it did on half of a song).
For a man in his seventies, Fernandez’s healthy diet of cigarettes and booze have somehow kept his heart kickin’, and thatap what he did all night. Staunchly holding his ground with a golden-gun holster and in “charro” garb, Fernandez reminisced about a time when his wise abuelo (grandfather) gave him the best advice he ever received about seeking the love of his life and ranching: “Una buena vieja y una buena mula. Que la mula no sea tan vieja y la vieja no tan mula. (Find a good ol’ woman and a good mule. For the mule to not be too old and the ol’ woman to be such a mule).” That little tidbit sent the men in the crowd to raise their beers and scream their loudest “Ajua!” in unison.
Amid the dozen bras thrown on stage, Chente blew kisses to the lovely ladies in the crowd as he serenaded “Si Nos Dejan,” the popular Jose Alfredo Jimenez ballad, while puffing on his cigarette and soaking in the admiration of his thousands of fans he has accumulated over the years at the Pepsi Center, all clamoring for more hits. Chente finished strong, capping his three-hour set with crowd favorite “Mexico, Querido Lindo” and “Volver” to solidify the Mexican icon’s triumphant return to Denver.
Next year, Fernandez hinted at a possible return with his son, Alejandro Fernandez, or Juarez legend Juan Gabriel. Keep your fingers crossed and your tequila close!
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Julio Enriquez is a Denver writer and photographer, editor of the blog and a regular contributor to Reverb.
