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 Pitbull |
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Story and Photos by Andy Argyrakis Scan the radio dial for a mere minute and chances are Pitbull will pop up in various incarnations and collaborations on pretty much every station that's passed. In addition to his own hits that started in the rap world and crossed over to the pop charts, his collaborations also defy boundaries, spanning the likes of Christina Aguilera, Usher, Shakira, Chris Brown, Jennifer Lopez, T-Pain, Marc Anthony and even Tim McGraw (amongst many others).As a result, a trip at breakneck speed through the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre found an all ages audiences from literally every walk of life united by the desire to dance, party and simply "Feel This Moment," as his current mega-selling single suggests. Pitbull and his entourage of live musicians and dancers wasted no time doing just that thanks to "Mr. Worldwide," "Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor)" and "Dance Again," all adorned by synchronized visuals and choreography. Several more English-language club bangers followed, including snippets of Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way" and Guns N' Rose's "Sweet Child O' Mine," though the suit-bearing rapper/songwriter/producer also gave ample coverage to his Latin material, much to the delight of longtime fans. Along the way, there was plenty of production to light up even the last row on the lawn, but given his suave charisma and ability to ebb and flow with the grooves, Pitbull managed to cram the tens of thousands of fans into a sweaty dance club atmosphere. He also got some help from several famous faces popping up on the jumbotron throughout the evening, with a mega medley of "On The Floor," "I Like It" and "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love" earning some serious cheers thanks to taped cameos from J-Lo, Enrique Iglesias and Usher. If the night could be summarized in a single song, the virtual tag team with Christina Aguilera "Feel This Moment" found Pitbull living in the right here and now, while rightfully claiming his spot as today's top party starter. That attitude was further accentuated by opener Ke$ha, who continues to ascend the pop ladder thanks to an arsenal full of ridiculously dim-witted ditties that are so catchy it's almost impossible not to sing-a-long. As an entertainer, the singer/songwriter/sometimes rapper staged almost as big of a show as Mr. Worldwide, complete with a live backing band, dance troupe and plenty of glitter to go around. Even though she's only been on the scene for three years, the hour long set read like a greatest hits revue, if only because practically everything she releases dominates the charts. Thankfully tunes off 2012's "Warrior" demonstrated some songwriting improvement from her relatively disposable past, though no one seemed to notice as they were simply engulfed in Ke$ha's contagious choruses over undeniably delectable electro-pop beats. Past favorites like "Blow" and "Tik Tok" were exuberant, even if they won't likely stand the test of time, while newer tunes like "C'Mon" and "Die Young" are easily the songs of this summer. Add it all up, and Ke$ha fell right in line with Pitbull's ethos of living in the moment, and even if the spirit of celebration often times trumped substance, few have ever made dumb sound so fun. |
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