Pop goes the Latin sound
Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez concert go together like apples, oranges
6:33 PM, Jul 26, 2012 |
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Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez Tour Opener -
Jennifer Lopez knows how to put the 'show'' in 'show businesss.'' / WireImage
Written by
Chris Jordan
@ChrisFHJordan
ENRIQUE IGLESIAS & JENNIFER LOPEZ
With: Frankie J
When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 29
Where: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City
Tickets: $19.50-$249.50
Info:
http://www.boardwalkhall.com
The Enrique Iglesias-Jennifer Lopez co-headlining show Friday, July 20 at the Prudential Center in Newark was a study in contrasts.
On one hand, there was elaborately staged Lopez, dancing and gyrating with a battalion of backup dancers, emphasizing the “show" in “show business.’’
Then there was Iglesias, who took thee stage first, largely unadorned in jeans and a T-shirt, seeking to make a personal connection to his audience. Iglesias performs a big-sounding brand of Euro-pop that easy on the ear and at time quite infectious. Songs like “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)’’ and “Bailamos” have a sweeping pan-universal appeal that draw from pop, rock, dance and Latin music.
Yet, Iglesias’ set missed on two points. First, you didn't get a sense of his true singing voice as his microphone was loaded with reverb and echo effects to the point where it proved a distraction. The second was the set's pacing — Iglesias spent too much of his time mired in small talk with audience members. His spoken intro to his hit ballad "Hero" was rambling and confusing with the narrative jumping from his prom to Sept. 11. Earlier, after he conducted a verbal survey to determine that there were a lot of gay guys in the audience, he invited a fella on stage for a prolonged chat and to share lead vocals on a cover of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me.’’
Iglesias’ message of inclusion is good. However, he needs a better way of expressing the message.
Lopez allowed little time for talk in her set, which seemingly drew inspiration from a 1930s Warner Bros. film. There was a Busby Berkeley-inspired dance number minus the overhead shot, a dance routine set inside a glittery boxing ring, a nightclub scenario for “Let’s Get Loud,’’ and Lopez cast as a Queen of the Lonely Hearts, eternally searching for true love when she's not atop her velvet throne.
Lopez is not a powerhouse vocalist but she is a powerhouse performer, gracefully moving from mark to mark with panache and looking great while doing it. The 42-year old wore several form-fitting bodysuits, and she wore them very well.
She seemed at ease on stage after her tenure on TV's “American Idol.’’
“At the end of the day, this is what I do,’’ Lopez said. “This is where I belong.’’
A telling sign of the future of crossover Latin music occurred during Lopez' rendition of “Follow the Leader,” on which she was joined by Wisin y Yandel. The Puerto Rican urban duo, who were originally slated to open the show, received one of the evening's biggest ovations. Was it a sign of the coming of a new generation of Latin music stars? Perhaps.
:Bravo: