Saturday, Feb 25, 2017

It’s been over two decades since singer Enrique Iglesias first started making music. But if the gig he performed on the third and closing night of the Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival is any indication, the Spanish heart-throb is hotter than ever.

Iglesias delivered what has to be one of the most lively concert experiences that the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre has ever witnessed.

Although he kept the sell-out crowd eagerly waiting until almost 11pm, the Latin superstar more than compensated for the delay when he performed a high-energy set featuring all his mega hits and even came back for two encores!

Fuelled by an amazing band of musicians and backup singers, Iglesias had the crowd on their feet all through the 110-minute show. It was one wild night.

Sporting his trademark khaki baseball cap and wearing a huge smile, he launched headlong into I’m A Freak, a dance-pop classic mixed with pulsing, electro house beats, from his 2014 bestselling album Sex And Love.

The star appeared to be in a really good mood as he rolled into the chart-friendly anthem I like How It Feels, a song about simply enjoying life.

The packed venue, where screaming girls outnumbered the guys, went wild as Iglesias tore into hit song after hit song.

Everyone was moving to the infectious rhythms of mambo, bomba and merengue that are a staple of Duele el Corazon, a Latin gem, and the whole band seemed to be having fun.

However, the first crowing moment of the night came when Iglesias dived headlong into Bailamos, his 1999 debut single in the English charts. A song that sold over five million copies worldwide would stir the crown into a frenzy.

At most concerts singers connect with the crowd and Iglesias, famous for his casual appearance and onstage posturing, succeeded where most would fail. Not a single eye missed his every move. The King of Latin pop was in command.

“Hello Dubai. Are you guys having fun?” he called out. “I wrote most of my songs when I was 16, 17, 18, 19 but when I reached 20 I started to write a lot less. Then I started writing songs again when I was about 29, and perhaps they were a lot better.”

Iglesias, who is the youngest child of Spanish legend Julio Iglesias and his Filipina mother Isabel Preysler, gave a Saudi fan something to remember when he called him on stage to duet with the classic Stand By Me. He was the envy of thousands of screaming female fans as they watched him enjoy his 15 minutes of fame alongside the great artist.

It was a moment that made Iglesias more accessible to his fans, who he time and again reached out to touch.

More hits would follow including Escape, El Perdon and the crowd-pleasing club anthem Bailando before he waved one final goodbye to his adoring fans.

This was one of the better concerts that Dubai’s music fans have seen in recent times.

By Leslie Wilson Jr, Special Features Writer

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