Hola Cuba! Rolling Stones invite Cubans to historic free concert

The Rolling Stones have invited Cubans to their free concert with Mick Jagger speaking Spanish in a YouTube video few people in the country will be able to watch. Less than one-third of Cubans have access to the internet, with only 3.4% of homes connected to either the internet or a local Cuban intranet, according to UN data. The Stones added Cuba to the end of their Latin American tour OLE, becoming the first major international rock stars to play in the island nation.

We have played in many incredible places but this concert in Havana is going to be a historic event for us. We hope it will be for you, too.

Mick Jagger

The outdoor concert at a sports complex was postponed for five days because of the 48-hour visit by US President Barack Obama, who left Cuba on Tuesday. The band have brought in 61 shipping containers with an estimated 500 tonnes of equipment, such as a stage, speakers, lights and video screens, the production manager, Dale Skjerseth, told reporters on Sunday. A crew of 140 Stones employees and at least 80 Cubans have set up on grounds including a football field and adjoining baseball fields with room for hundreds of thousands of spectators who are invited to arrive for free on a first-come, first-served basis.

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