ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Imagine coming to America for the first time and the top thing on your to-do list is to play a concert in front of nearly 1,000 people. Well that's the case for three different bands who came to St. Augustine from Aviles, Spain, as part of the 450th celebration.
Founded 450 years ago by the Spanish, St. Augustine and Aviles had a chance to share more than just a centuries-old heritage Thursday night -- both cities had the chance to share a little bit of their culture.
"We were in Aviles a couple years back, and we heard some of the music and some of the festivals of Aviles and it was amazing. These people played all night long, like to 3 or 4 o'clock (in the morning) and they are amazing," St. Augustine resident Penny McCormick said.
McCormick said her memories of Aviles were so great that when she heard three bands from the city were performing to kick of the 450th anniversary, she and her son had to go.
From the band Tejedor, which featured world-famous bagpiper Jose Tejedor, to Los Morrigans, an Asturian Spanish pop band, the audience had plenty to take in.
Tejedor started his musical journey playing the bagpipes 13 years ago, and along with his brother, devoted their lives to playing Asturian folk music and on Thursday, they were able to share that love with Americans, and St. Augustine, for the first time.
Sandra Lusquinos, a band member from the Spanish indie rock group Alexandra in the Grey, said she was honored to play in America for the first time.
"I'm so excited because I love my city and I love St. Augustine, because we are like the same. The people are amazing, the hospitality, I feel incredible," Lusquinos said.