There’s no doubt that El Abayarde is one of urbano’s living legends, yet even legends can fall into an unfortunate cycle. Tego Calderón is under fire again after his performance — or lack thereof — at a concert in Houston’s Vertigo club. Recent videos surfacing across social media show the OG reggaetonero having an incoherent fit on stage, much to the frustration of his fans in attendance.
Calderón had some choice words for his audience. After finishing a song, he spit profanities and insults into his microphone, suggesting that he couldn’t care less if his audience “hated” him or not. After fans started whistling and booing, Tego Calderón declared, “Pa’l carajo,” and stormed off stage — but not before taking a swig from what appears to be a bottle of liquor and pouring it out on the floor. Other footage also shows Calderón scuffling with his team as they attempted to bring him back on stage.
It was a shocking episode for fans in attendance, but not surprising if we think of Tego’s track record. He’s been on an unfortunate downward spiral recently: Months after getting arrested for a suspected DUI, Calderón was also issued a restraining order against his ex-girlfriend, Katiria Millán, for allegedly sending her a slew of threatening texts and phone calls.
But as these things go, many in the urbano industry continue to support Calderón as a forefather of the genre. Artists like J Alverez and Jowell of Jowell & Randy chimed in on Tego’s recent Instagram post, which depicts a very different, groomed impression of the Houston concert. In the comment section for the Houston photo series, both artists expressed that they’re “with” him always. In a standalone post, Farruko also declared, “I am with you brother,” and attempted to explain the pressures of the industry. “People do not understand how dirty this business is,” he wrote. He justified Tego’s concert reaction with the old adage of, you’re only human, and went on to praise the elder statesman of reggaeton for being the first to bring Black and white people alike onto the urbano dancefloor.
While nobody is discounting Calderón’s contributions to reggaeton, we can all acknowledge his recent behavior for what it is. Holding him accountable is only what the industry deserves. Here’s hoping for the best.