Language no barrier to Martin’s star appeal
RodeoHouston debut proves to be an electric celebration full of dancers, costume changes and pyrotechnics
RodeoHouston has hosted its share of pop spectacle and Spanish-language superstars across 90 years. Ricky Martin’s Friday night debut was the best of both worlds.
“It’s one of those nights I will never forget,” he told the crowd of 56,781 attendance. “It’s an important night for Houston, culturally speaking. This is beautiful.”
Indeed, Latino acts have largely been relegated to Go Tejano Day (which regularly breaks the attendance record, by the way). Given Latin music’s dominance, it would be a smart financial decision for RodeoHouston to dedicate more nights to it.
Martin, now 50 years old, has entered the rarified air of artists whose success isn’t contingent on radio play or TV appearances. People show up because, across an almost four-decade career, he’s earned it.
He swung through the big hits, of course — “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” “She Bangs” and “Shake Your Bon Bon.” But this wasn’t just a run of obvious choices. Martin gave the crowd a fully realized set full of dancers and pyro and costume changes. He moved from black to white outfits and was backed by a cadre of horns that turned every song into a party anthem.
You could feel the electricity pulse through the aisles during “La Bomba” and “Maria.” The ballad “Vuelve,” a highlight of Martin’s catalog, was beautifully executed. It’s an intimate vocal that he performed atop one of the stage’s star points, a perfect display of pop drama.
Minutes later, he reignited the party with “Vente Pa’ca” and closer “The Cup of Life,” both irresistible calls to celebration that brought the crowd to its feet and likely had most of them wishing it wouldn’t end.