Remember the good old ’90s, when you would hear Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero” constantly being played on the radio? Nowadays, he is famous for his hits “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)” and “I Like It,” appealing to today’s club-like music fan base. I have never been a super-fan, but I have followed him along his musical career. When my friends asked me to go to his recent Boston concert with them, I could not pass it up.
Originally, Pitbull was supposed to be Iglesias’ opening act. However, when we got to the concert, a security guard kindly informed us that Pitbull would not be there that night; he was stuck in Miami. We laughed it off—how could Pitbull miss his own concert? He must have been joking. Unfortunately, the security guard was telling the truth, as we soon saw signs confirming his statement and offering to refund tickets if we wanted to leave. The six of us looked at each other, and knew we were going to stay; we did not go to Boston for nothing!
Once we took our seats, which excitingly enough were located on the first level above the floor, we decided to get back up again and dance to the pre-show music. After about 45 minutes, Prince Royce came on first, as he was also touring with Pitbull and Iglesias. Only one of my friends knew who he was, and was ecstatic to see him perform.
If his name sounds familiar, you may know his very pretty rendition of “Stand By Me” or, for those of you with a taste for Spanish music, his “El Amor Que Perdimos.” The rest of us enjoyed his music and danced to it, but after multiple songs with a slow tempo, we were anxiously awaiting Enrique’s upbeat music while continuing to swear at no-show Pitbull. Soon, Prince Royce finished his set, and we got ready for Mr. Iglesias to take the stage.
Of course, we had to wait at least another hour as they set up for Enrique. I have been to multiple concerts in the past, and there was always a long wait, but never for more than an hour. It was obvious that they were stalling to make up for time lost by Pitbull not being there.
The weird thing is that his absence was never mentioned, so we were left hoping that maybe somehow he would show up. We overheard another security guard talking to a group of people, telling them that Pitbull missed his plane. Couldn’t he get another one? It was frustrating for us, but we continued to look forward to the main act.
When Enrique Iglesias came out on stage after an enormous build-up, we were freaking out with excitement. He sang many songs in Spanish, and although only one person in our group spoke Spanish, we could all recognize the beauty in his songs. However, it wasn’t until he brought a woman up on stage and serenaded her that I really fell in love. He kept her up there for three songs, took shots of rum with her and held her close as he sang to this stranger.
Later, I fell even harder for this handsome man upon hearing his reaction to security preventing people from moving closer to the stage. He announced, “Security, let Boston do whatever the fuck they want!” A couple of my friends had already escaped through a small gap onto the main floor, rushing up to the stage. But as soon as the remaining four of us got to the bottom of our section, a security woman steadfastly held the gap to the floor shut. We were disappointed, but we wouldn’t give up.
As soon as we saw a chance, a slight turn of the guard’s head, we ran past her through the gap and ended up ten feet away from Enrique’s beautiful body. He had now moved to a raised stage toward the back of the floor. However, we realized that one friend remained behind, caught in the traps of the evil security guard. We encouraged her to hop over the boundary, and after multiple failed tries, she succeeded, sprinting toward us before anyone could catch her; we had all made it.
At this point, Enrique was singing “Hero,” the one song we were all waiting to hear. He brought a different woman up on the stage. He slow-danced with her as he sang Hero, and it looked as if she was crying, or shaking at the least—who wouldn’t be? I was in awe of his talent and beauty. At the very end, he kissed her, something I had never before seen happen at a concert. This only added to my adoration, of course.
After this, he quickly made it back to the main stage to sing “Tonight,” and my friends and I raced up as far as we could make it, ending up ten or so rows back. We stood on chairs and danced as confetti fell around us. What makes a concert incredible for me is that magical feeling, and this one certainly had it. Great friends, great music, an attractive man to look at—it was overall an awesome experience. Even though Pitbull never made it, as Enrique excused him at the very end for feeling “under the weather,” it was still a very memorable evening. I would recommend seeing Enrique Iglesias in concert to anyone, super-fan or skeptic alike. You can count on it being a surprising and, at the very least, an especially eventful occasion.
