2024-04-18 13:26:06
In California, 40% of the population is Latino, but on Wednesday the entire Crypto Arena, in the heart of Los Angeles, was Mexican. The home of the Los Angeles Lakers became the home of Luis Miguel for the second and last night, who surpassed 100 concerts in the main city of the Western United States. his tour, released in August of last year in Buenos Aires (Argentina)and whose immense success has made it add 50 dates and, if all goes well, almost 180 recitals around the world when the end of the year. tour, next November. Those in Los Angeles (the first on Tuesday the 16th and the second on Wednesday the 17th), both full, are good example of the power of convocation that continues to dragafter 40 years of career, the so-called The Sun of Mexico. And the overflowing energy that, unexpectedly, he has recovered to give his all on stage.
When the 56-year-old vocalist appears on the Crypto stage before 20,000 souls, he doesn’t even say hello. Enter directly with It will be that you do not love me. Then, without hardly breathing, Love love love. And so on in the hour and a half of the concert, where he doesn’t stop for a moment, and only takes a short break shortly after halfway, to disappear for a couple of minutes and change his outfit. What Luis Miguel does and the secret of his success for decades has been and continues to be his music, his voice, his lyrics. For years he has remained secretive, closed in on his private life, he does not grant interviews or talk to the press. Therefore, although in the hour and a half on stage he does not stop smiling, he does not address the audience except with gestures. Not a “Good night, Los Angeles!”, not a see you soon, not a wink to the city, not even a presentation of the team that accompanies him. But it works for the audience. Screams and applause rain down, which last for minutes at the end. An ending, by the way, without encores.
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The public is, 90%—being conservative—of Latin origin. Almost 20% of the US population is Latino (and of them, two thirds are Mexican. But in California the Mexican community is legion. In a city with almost a million Mexicans (of the 10 million in the entire county of Los Angeles 4.8 are Latino and 3.6 of them are Mexican, according to estimates from the last census), many take the opportunity to see for the first time the mass idol that they have been listening to at home all their lives. “Since I was a kid, always,” recalls Claudia, a Nicaraguan, accompanied by her Mexican friends Melissa and Margarita, at the entrance to Crypto. They are friends and, like so many other small groups of women who come to Crypto together, they have been encouraged to come see the Mexican. A vast majority of attendees are female, some accompanied by partners or children. They cry out. It’s a little harder for them to let go, but they end up chanting “When the sun is hot here on the beach” at the top of their voices. “We come with great pride, we have been following him for many years,” say Sonia and Eva, American sisters originally from Michoacán, who have come with Sonia’s husband and daughter and are waiting their turn in the very long line at the merchandising ($45 for a t-shirt, $95 for a sweatshirt, plus tax). “He is divine“, the two laugh in unison.
And, yes, Luis Miguel, if not divine, is certainly in one of his best professional moments. In top form, his energy is indomitable, he doesn’t stop moving, jumping, smiling, playing with his musicians. He modulates his voice, he moves the microphone as far away as he wants and he is heard powerfully, he plays with the tempos and lyrics, he adapts them to his rhythms, he doesn’t take a break. Luis Miguel starts with three backup singers and a band of a dozen members, then grows with another dozen string instruments (and even with an orchestra conductor) and reaches his great moment in the last third, when none other than 14 mariachis and five dancers.
He show, very classic, canonical, works in a rigorous way. With makings of crooner, Luis Miguel is the contemporary Latin dandy. In less than 100 minutes he reviews a career of hits in about 25 songs (some more if you consider that there are several medleys, where he tiptoes through some of his greats) with a simple but effective staging, with confetti, archive images, a multi-story stage and, throughout everything decorated for him, a vase of white roses on a stool where they rest a couple of towels and glasses of water. Classicism without fanfare. As a novelty and surprise, a drone flies over the stage throughout the concert, and he knows how to take advantage of the little toy and grabs it, smiles at it, shakes it and gets good shots on the many screens that Crypto boasts.
Sun He doesn’t take off his smile or his suit, always carrying the microphone in one hand and the flask in the other. Few wrinkles, fibrous figure, perfect teeth, impeccable quiff, he does not need to present himself or be presented. The first part of the concert brings the Los Angeles public to their feet, while in the second, non-stop, they seem calmer. That’s also when the most surprising moment of the night arrives, with its two duets… with Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra. The strangest is the first, with photographs of Jackson projected on the screen, and with his voice in off singing Smile in English and Luis Miguel doing it in Spanish. With Sinatra it’s a classic My Way, although this time with the American in a recorded and color performance on the stage screen and the Mexican singing the English, which raises fewer eyebrows than the first. Nothing happens, in a couple of songs the mariachis arrive and with La Bikina The audience is going crazy, and they won’t stop chanting until the end, with When the sun heats.
Luis Miguel will blow out 54 candles on Friday, on stage at the T-Mobile in Las Vegas, where his next concert will arrive, the 103rd of his tour. He is not a newbie in the square: It already filled the city’s Dolby Live three times (yes, with 6,000 spectators instead of this one’s 20,000) last September. They have Salt Lake City, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, New Orleans… 30 left in total in the US, to continue later with 14 in Spain and another 29 in Mexico, including six in the capital in October, where he already gave seven last year. After four years of silence since their previous tour, El Sol has an unstoppable desire to shine.
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