On Feb. 20, Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull returned to Illinois, bringing their successful act to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont. The dynamic duo put on a fast-paced, fun show, selling out the venue to the top of the rafters in the process.
Rotating nights where one of them follows the other has kept this tour fresh and unexpected.
This time out it was Enrique up to bat first. The Spanish singer arrived in his trademark cap, jeans and T-shirt singing "I'm a Freak" with his full band. Two ramps on either end of the stage, along with a front catwalk, allowed him to address each side of the packed room. Later, he popped up on an alternate stage by the soundboard singing a medley in Spanish.
Once again, the son of Julio brought a spectator up with him to sing. In the past, it has been a crying girl or a lucky gay fan. This time it was a young Mexican named Daniel who even dressed like him. While it slowed the concert down a bit, it showed Iglesias having a good time one on one with a cover version of "Stand By Me." For one moment, that kid felt like he was a star.
Afterward, Iglesias returned to the main stage with hits like "Be With You" and "Escape."
With such a large catalog, it seemed unusual that cover songs would need to be part of the act with Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" as part of the night.
His rendition of "Tonight ( I'm Fucking You )" seemed a bit graphic for the fan base, and then Pitbull came along with booty dancers and bikini-filled music videos, making the crowd blush. Parents were a part of the audience with screaming girls, gays and a few men dragged out on a date. The macho straight men did seem okay after Iglesias finished with the romantic "Hero" and Mr. 305 arrived with gorgeous young back-up dancers.
The Cuban payed homage to his roots while acknowledging his success with a written message projected on the screens about his journey to the top. One of the hardest-working men in show business continues to show he lives the life of a pimp while winking at the audience at the same time. His successful duets with Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera and Ke$ha were all included complete with music videos since the artists were not available to follow him on tour.
Ever want to pep up a gathering of friends? Play a little of Pit's "Bon Bon ( We No Speak Americano )" and the job is done.
Concertgoers got their money's worth that night with a more-than-thee-hour extravaganza where the two eventually returned for an encore together, blasting the audience with confetti. With ticket sales such as this night, it won't be long before the two hitmakers return to this part of the countryonce again to bring the party.