with CNCO
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Friday, June 16, 2017
Star power was not lacking Friday night as Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull performed the seventh show of their 2017 tour at American Airlines Center.
At 8 p.m., after a quick set by Latin pop boy band CNCO, Iglesias rose to the stage through a trap door. By the time he was completely in view, with a boyish grin spread across his face, the AAC was filled with ear-piercing screams.
Iglesias and his nine-piece band kicked off their performance with “I’m a Freak” from Iglesias’ 2014 album Sex and Love. His show was energetic; throughout the night, he jumped, danced and glided across part of the stage that had a moving walkway like the ones in airports.
However, the action wasn't nonstop. Iglesias, 42, randomly disappeared from the stage several times to take a quick respite, although he was never gone from the stage for more than a minute at a time. “Holy shit, Dallas. I’m getting old,” a panting Iglesias said in between songs. “But not that old.”
Iglesias’ band did not let his absences from the stage turn into lulls. During one of his breaks, the band performed a Latinized version of Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You.”At one point, Iglesias jumped out into the crowd and danced with a woman in a red blouse. Before their dance was over, Iglesias kissed the woman and she instantly fainted and fell out of his arms.
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Fans didn’t seem to mind these breaks because throughout the night Iglesias treated them well. Several times during the evening, Iglesias took selfies with fans. At one point, he jumped out into the crowd and danced with a woman in a red blouse. Before their dance was over, Iglesias kissed the woman, and she instantly fainted and fell out of his arms.
After giving the woman a moment she’ll never forget, Iglesias and his band moved over to the B-stage for an acoustic set, which featured a intimate slow dance with one of his backup dancers, swigs from a bottle of tequila and his hit “Hero.”
Toward the end of Iglesias' performance, balloons with the letters E and I fell from the sky and confetti cannons were launched, filling the stage in colorful debris. It was the kind of finale you would expect for the end of a night and not just one act.
At 10 p.m., a quick cleanup job and stage changes, and an entertaining DJ set, Pitbull took the stage through the same trap door. The singer, fresh off a performance Thursday night at the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame ceremony, sported a black suit with a black dress shirt and sunglasses.
Pitbull, also known as Mr. Worldwide and Mr. 305, delivered hit after hit. “Fireball,” “Timber,” “Don’t Stop the Party" and “You Know You Want Me (Celle Ocho)” all made the set list. Pitbull's group of eight backup dancers, who performed several salacious choreographed dances, complemented his dancing.
Pitbull spoke a message of unity throughout the evening. "As much as we think we’re different. We’re really not all that different,” he said.
He then took a roll call of concertgoers, asking all white fans to make some noise, then black fans and finally all of the Latinos in the crowd, who gave the loudest response. “It’s all about bringing people together and making it the United States of America,” Pitbull said. “Not the divided states.”
Pitbull told fans that it didn’t matter if they had baby daddy issues, baby momma issues, bills they couldn’t pay or bail bonds they couldn’t afford — this night, he said, was about leaving troubles behind and having fun.
Pitbull also told part of his rags-to-riches story Friday night. He credited his success in music to his mom, who once told him that the pen is mightier than the sword. He said he was thankful he was able to bring the paper to the studios and now to arena shows.
After burning through most of his hits, Pitbull’s set came to an abrupt end with a confetti cannon finale similar to Iglesias'.
Fans were still clamoring for more when the house lights came up, but it was clear there would be no encore. Based on conversations overheard as the crowd filed out of the arena, there was no clear winner that evening — both Pitbull's and Iglesias' sets were successes.
However, one criticism was common: Many were left wishing the two superstars had performed a few songs together.
After performing in San Antonio on Saturday and Houston on Sunday, the doubleheader show travels to Florida for shows in Tampa and Pitbull’s home area code of Miami.
