MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Hip-hop superstar Wyclef Jean and special guest Paulina Rubio performed for service members, with a special tribute to military mothers at Camp Pendleton's Base Theater, May 2.
More than 650 people from the base community poured into the two-story auditorium to listen to the pop icons perform. The concert came just days before Mother's Day, a day when every mother around the globe is recognized for their sacrifice as a woman and a parent.
"It was important for me to come here and give back to our military moms," said Wyclef, who visited with injured Haitian children being transferred to a medical center in Philadelphia the day before the performance. "A lot of times, we don't think about moms in the military, when actually, they should be the first thing we think about." Wyclef's cousin, brother-in-law and production manager are all Marines.
Rubia, who was recently named the seventh most successful Latin Pop Song Artist of the last decade by Billboard Magazine, opened the show and performed for about 20 minutes before turning over the stage to Wyclef, the founding member of the groundbreaking 1990s hip-hop group, the Fugees.
Wyclef later invited the Latin pop star back on stage to perform a duet titled, "Guantanamera," perhaps one of the most well-known Cuban song, which directly translates to mean, "a girl from Guantanamo."
"It was nice to focus on moms, when the natural focus usually is active duty members and what they do for our freedom," said Patti J. Onthank, event coordinator, Marine Corps Community Services, Camp Pendleton. "Mothers provide support while a male Marine or sailor is deployed. The sacrafice that moms go through is not always appreciated," added the single mother.
Wyclef, a Haiti native, showcased his electric guitar skills with a hard-rock solo, and even began plucking the guitar strings with his teeth during one song.
"Hopefully, I made them all smile and dance," said Jean. "Nobody can keep they hands down at a Wyclef concert."
Toward the end of the show, Wyclef recognized all mothers and their children in attendance by inviting them onto the stage.
"Wyclef was a true showman, and did not disappoint," said Onthank.