Enrique IglesiasReview and Photos by Barry Brecheisen
Early last Tuesday evening the chants of "We love you!" echoed throughout the sold out Rosemont Theatre. Excited fans danced around to (of all things) Depeche Mode as they anxiously awaited for their Latin pop heart-throb to hit the stage. No, it wasn't Shakira, Jennifer Lopez or even Ricky "where've you gone" Martin, but rather their new 'hero,' Grammy Award winner Enrique Iglesias, son of legendary crooner Julio "I have slept with everyone" Iglesias.
Considering that there wasn't even an opening act, the once named "Sexiest Man Alive" by People En Espanol certainly managed to take his sweet time to perform. The cross-over pop star finally graced the stage at around 8:30 PM to a boom of deafening screams from the 90 percent female fans. The show felt more like a 'N Sync show than a Latin booty-shaking fiesta. Still, Enrique seemed eager to please by quickly delivering the goods with his first English speaking hit "Bailamos," which, for our white bread readers, means "let's dance." It was this number one Billboard hit that spiced things up on the "Wild Wild West" soundtrack and catapulted him instantly into the spotlight. It seemed like only yesterday when Enrique was following on the heels of the once Latin pop king, Ricky Martin. Today, Enrique's star power continues to skyrocket, while Martin has seemingly faded into obscurity. It may have been destiny considering his musical genes and his chiseled good looks. Whatever the case, Enrique seemed ready and willing to step in and wear the crown. It seemed puzzling, however, that the new Latin pop king chose to perform at a small venue with a capacity of 4,500, when he's proven to sell-out much larger arenas in the past.
The 26-year old Spanish born star, clad in blue Hawaiian t-shirt (no Elvis pun intended) and tight, dirty brown leather pants, came to tease the crowd for an intimate night of seduction - Enrique style. Even before he started in on the acoustic set it was apparent from the enraptured, longing eyes of every girl in the theater that he had successful stolen each and every one of their hearts. Enrique may perform a different style of music then his father, but one thing they both share is a common bond in communicating the language of love.
"This is one of my favorite songs in English," he confessed to the mesmerized crowd. "Listen to the lyrics," he encouraged as his two guitarists strummed the chords to "I Have Always Loved You."
Later dressed in a white tank top and trademark skull-cap, Enrique satisfied the crowd by encoring with his mega-hits "I'm Your Man", "Hero" and "Be With You." The evening's setlist, more than in the past, focused on his English speaking songs, even choosing to perform the English version of songs like "Don't Turn Out the Lights" and "Escape."
Some fans may have been disappointed with the predominately non-Espanol set, but it seemed an obvious choice considering that he just released his first all-English speaking CD. Even more disappointing, however, was the length of his set. It seemed outrageous for an artist with five albums under his belt to only play for a little over an hour. Enrique may have delivered the hits with his Mediterranean-style of pop, but he still has a lot to learn about giving the fans their money's worth.
