Original image of Ilaria Cacao with Cimafunk and La Tribu by There Stands the Glass.
Selecting a date for the single free general admission pass to the FIFA Fan Fest in Kansas City available to every applicant didn’t require much deliberation. Among the music headliners, I vastly prefer Cimafunk to the All-American Rejects, Gabby Barrett, the Chainsmokers and Flo Rida. As for the Kansas City rapper Tech N9ne, I’ve attended more than 25 of his concerts. Sheryl Crow was booked after I made my selection. Cimafunk and La Tribu wowed me at Boulevardia three years ago. The Cuban show band was equally entertaining at FIFA Fan Fest at Penn Valley Park on Saturday, June 20. In addition to a joyous sound that splits the difference between James Brown and Eddie Palmieri, the ensemble’s carefully choreographed antics during its 75-minute appearance elicited appreciative smiles from each of the 500 sweaty people assembled at the stage. Cimafunk plays my brand of jock jams.