Kali Uchis‘s The Sincerely Tour stop at the Auditorio Telmex in Guadalajara on Sunday, Feb. 22, was cancelled as violence overtakes parts of Mexico following the killing of Mexico’s top cartel leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes during a Mexican military operation supported by U.S. intelligence.
Promoter Ocesa announced the cancellation on social media, stating that refunds for ticket holders will be provided. In an Instagram Stories post, the singer wrote, “I would like to let those who care about my safety know that I am safe thank you for your well wishes.” Uchis’s concert this Wednesday, Feb, 25 in Mexico City at the Palacio de los Deportes is still scheduled to take place.
A host of other acts scheduled for Sunday were cancelled including performances by Pancho Barraza in Huaristemba, Nayarit, and La Arrolladora Banda El Limón concert in Michoacán.
Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and one of the world’s most-notorious drug traffickers, died during an attempt to capture him in Jalisco state. His killing under President Claudia Sheinbaum was one of the most aggressive attacks on the cartel since the recapture of former Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán a decade ago. Oseguera Cervantes death arrives amid escalating pressure from the Trump administration, which has been threatening strikes in Mexico against drug cartels designated as terrorist organizations. Such a strike from the U.S. on foreign ground would violently breach Mexico’s sovereignty.
The killing on Sunday triggered a wave of violence, with cars, buses, and business being torched by alleged cartel members, blockading roads across 20 Mexican states. The U.S. State Department instructed U.S. citizens in affected areas to “shelter in place until further notice.”
