Sunday, August 19, 2012

Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias Rock the Staples Center: Concert Review

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez's right knee was dripping with a touch of blood during her flashy and splashy Vegas-style show at Staples Center on Thursday night. But the diva took the little bump all in stride as she made the Los Angeles stop of the summer tour, featuring pop crooner Enrique Iglesias and R&B singer Frankie J., her own.

The Thursday night stand, which continued in L.A. for a second night on Friday before heading to Las Vegas itself and then other parts of the U.S., opened with Frankie J., the charismatic R&B singer. Iglesias, too, charmed the audience with his signature songs such as "I Like It," "Tonight" and "Hero."

Iglesias got major laughs when he invited a fan to come up and talk about his love life (or lack of it) as the two took shots of an unspecified libation. The spirit of the show was high and gained momentum with a diverse audience that included children, teens and an older set, too.

But it was clearly Lopez's night to show what she's made of as fans leaned in to take a closer look at the woman with a global following thanks to an empire she has built around music, fashion and movies. From the moment her set began, it was evident she wanted to entertain with high-energy dance moves, plenty of costume changes and the hits that have kept nightclub-goers bouncing through the years.

Many in the industry were present, too. Lopez introduced Motown founder Berry Gordy, who sat near the stage. And Colombian singer/songwriter Juanes was also nearby.

Lopez's fans saw her sashay, throw punches in a boxing ring and run in sparkly and skin-tight dance gear as she performed (in high heels, mind you) such hits as "Dance with Me" and "Follow the Leader," a collaboration with urban duo Wisin & Yandel. The latter song has seen more than 50 million hits on Vevo to date. The rappers, who earlier this year dropped out of the tour to pursue other projects, joined Lopez on stage on Thursday.

Lopez, who most recently served as a judge on "American Idol," played to her strengths by engaging the audience on everything from falling in love to being a mother. From "On The Floor" (featuring Pitbull) to "Get Right" and "Jenny from the Block," the singer/actress/dancer boldly owned the stage with a bravado that left fans restless and snapping one more photo for their Twitter and Facebook feeds.

Even though Lopez performed for about an hour, the concert packed every minute as she introduced several themes within her show -- from a 1920s-esque overture complete with dancers wearing top hats to majorly toned showgirls and their male counterparts, who grooved to a nightclub stage set-up complete with large neon pink feathered fans.

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