Pam-pana-ni-na-na…. The chorus to Mark Anthony’s “ Contra la Corriente”... En La Escena

Pam-pana-ni-na-na…. The chorus to Mark Anthony’s “ Contra la Corriente”...who can stop singing it after his concert tonight at the IZOD theatre? The night was electric, magical, some would say…spiritual as one concert-goer noted after Mark’s rendition of “Aguanile.”  “I saw the spirits through him” is this concert-goers commentary on the palpable energy Mark emitted through this spiritual chant but that wouldn’t be the only soul capturing moment of the night.  Mark delights us with his glide across the stage as we sing along to some of a long list of his greatest hits.  “No Nadie Como Ella”, and the audience rises,”Ahora Quien”, and we can’t help but dance.  Mark then slows it down to a ballad and he closes his eyes and we watch. We watch as if under a spell of his leading as is the type of experience that happens at a Mark Anthony concert and then he asks, do you want to dance? And we do. “I need to know.” As he leads us with his melodic throaty voice it occurs to me that we’re at party, a celebration really and that’s just how it feels.  Entertaining, to say the least, and easy to see why he packs houses again and again.  Mark is like the relative who invites you in, offers you a drink, and pulls you out to dance.  The life of the party who plays the timbales and calls out your song and you answer.  Except this time it was thousands of people who, to Mark’s “Ayee”, we answered, Que can-tan mi gente! And what of his mood you ask? Did his famous breakup set a tone for the evening? Well you wouldn’t tell from his energy but at one point when he closes his eyes and re-opens them and offers us the intense look that Mark gives so well as he belts out a ballad, one can only wonder if it was personally inspired.  Mark not only captures the audience, he takes us with him on his journey, as we sing along with him, he stops, looks out into the crowd and gestures to his band to quiet the music.  He holds the microphone towards us and as we sing, he closes his eyes, raises his arms, and dances.  Mark invigorates, delights, and even plays with us as he thanks us for the night and walks off stage while we wait expectantly for just one more appearance.  And then he appears again as the audience goes wild.  He finishes with a song and enraptures us as he holds a note for what seems like days and I realize, if you weren’t a Mark Anthony believer before, you will be now.

Sandra Quinones

GOYA FOODS CELEBRATED 75th ANNIVERSARY WITH MARC ANTHONY

GOYA FOODS CELEBRATED 75th ANNIVERSARY WITH MARC ANTHONY

Goya donates 75,000 pounds of food to local charities throughout concert series

Secaucus, NJ (September 12, 2011) - Goya Foods, Inc., the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States, celebrated their 75^th anniversary at a concert with Marc Anthony at the IZOD Center in Rutherford, New Jersey on Friday, September 9,2011, one of nine concerts throughout six major cities including Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Orlando, and New Jersey. As part of the Goya Gives campaign, a series of initiatives the company has developed in partnership with United Way, Goya donated 75,000 pounds of food to local charities throughout the country.

“Giving has always been an integral part of our culture, so as we celebrate our 75th anniversary, we wanted to give back to the communities that have always supported us since 1936,” said Robert Unanue, president of Goya Foods.

Backstage at the New Jersey concert, Goya, on behalf of Marc Anthony donated 10,000 pounds of food products to The Puerto Rican Family Institute, a nonprofit, multi-program family oriented health and human service agency whose primary mission is to prevent family disintegration and enhance the self-sufficiency of the Latino community.

“I am honored and humbled to play a part in Goya’s 75th anniversary celebrations and to be able to give back together to these communities who have supported us for so long,” said Marc Anthony, who presented Goya with three autographed guitars in honor of their 75th and their commitment to helping those in need. In March of 2011, Goya donated one million pounds across multiple markets, the largest ever single-day food donation by a food company. The historic donation served as a reminder of Goya’s service to its communities and is the next step in Goya’s longstanding commitment of supporting the fight against hunger. Throughout its 75-year history, Goya has donated extensively to local and national organizations, and in 2010 alone, the company donated more than 1.5 million pounds of food worldwide. www.goyagives.org.

For more information on Goya Gives, please visit www.goyagives.org.

Upcoming Concert Dates:

Sept. 16 & 17, 2011 Marc Anthony American Airlines Arena Miami, FL

Sept. 18, 2011 Marc Anthony Amway Center Orlando, FL

Oct. 16, 2011 Ana Gabriel Gibson Amphitheatre Los Angeles, CA


Natalie J. Maniscalco / Communications Strategist
New York City / New Jersey