“Did you all come to have a good time?” Jennifer Lopez yelled into the microphone as she took to the stage at Dubai’s Autism Rocks Arena at 9.30pm on Friday.

The crowd of die-hard fans promptly roared, “Yes!”

Lopez was a little late to begin her aptly named concert All I Have, but her fans didn’t seem to mind. After all in JLo’s own words: “Every time I come here that’s what I want to do…give you all I have.”

There was no lack of enthusiasm among the fans when the dramatic LED arch across the stage lit up with glaring lights and JLo made her entry with her debut single If You Had My Love, her first chart-topper, blasting into the arena.

Clad in a sparkly crystal-encrusted black and white baroque print bralet, matching cloak and high waist pants, golden heels, and wielding a cane (oops! It did slip out of her hand), the diva launched into a 120-minute set of her spectacular dance moves from the word go.

When it comes to concerts, the 48-year-old performer brings a showmanship that’s hard to beat. You realise that it’s her ability to work a crowd, and effectively blend her talents to put on a spectacle as lively and extravagant as she did in Dubai, that’s made the Bronx-born Puerto Rican a superstar.

With enough razzle and dazzle to light up the stage — between a stunning group of dancers, lasers, pyro, holograms and Swarovski crystals adorning her designer costumes, as well as sleek moves — for the next two hours, Lopez sizzled in a performance that merged everything from her catalogue.

SPARKLING ACT

JLo switches genres likes she switches outfits — quickly and seamlessly. The only constant is the sparkle. One moment, the audience saw her as a jewel-covered diva singing hits such as Ain’t It Funny, a costume change later, she was Jenny from the Block, jumping around and pumping out hip-hop tunes from her “JLo days”, then out of the blue came out the fluid moves with thick, booming hip-hop sets featuring her two Pitbull collabo tracks, Dance Again and On the Floor.

Between the songs, she struck a rapport with the audience, cracking jokes and sharing inspirational anecdotes about pursuing dreams. With all the sexual harassment controversies forcing Hollywood to sit up and take notice, Lopez also asked for a little R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

“I have dozen things on my mind, many things I want to get off my chest,” she said.

No matter the genre or vibe, she performed with utter energy, and it was exciting to watch. If that was all she had to give, no one could ask for more.

At one point she decided to get sexy for her fans and emerged in a series of cat suits to present some pretty racy moments, especially when she unleashed a vicious rump shake to the delight of screaming audience.

She also dug into her musical roots with her new Latin-music track Amor, Amor, Amor. “It’s Amor three times because once is not enough,” she said, laughing. This ultimately gyrated its way to becoming the most electrifying part of All I Have.

She sounded great, and watching her launch into a one-woman salsa exhibition felt exhilarating. The set list also included tracks such as I Aint Your Mama, Let’s Get Loud, Waiting for Tonite, Love to Make Love To You Baby, and a snippet of Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda.

For the encore, JLo returned with another sensual outfit and another spirited performance. There is an unexpected pleasure in watching Lopez flip into something fiercer. During a rendition of Hold It Don’t Drop It, she slid down the stage on her knees with the agility of a gymnast. She ran and threw herself on the floor only to glide on her knees, timing her dive to land at the very edge of the stage. Unbelievable!

The lady does aim to please. And cover all her fan bases.

Reporting by Krita Coelho

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