Review by Belinda Vel – www.facebook.com/belindavelphotography
Photo by Belinda Vel Photography – http://belindavelphotography.com.au/
Ricky Martin had Sydney Livin La Vida Loca!
Fellow coach from The Voice Delta Goodrem opened the show with outstanding performances. Delta performed a variety of her well know hits Born To Try, Sitting On Top Of The World, Innocent Eyes and plenty more. Her beautiful tone, charisma & passion captivated the entire arena. Goodrem also gave us a taste of what we can expect on her next upcoming album.
Latin heartthrob Ricky Martin kicked off his much anticipated Australian One World Tour last night at Allphones Arena in Sydney with a bang. Dressed in white, Ricky made a spectacular entrance by descending from the roof through a blanket of smoke to take the stage. He opened the show with his latest single Mr Put It Down with thousands of screaming fans up on their feet singing & dancing along to the catchy tune. From that moment the audience knew they were in for a spectacular night of Latin Carnival.
He is the leading Latin music figure of his generation, he’s sold out concerts in more than 60 countries around the world and has spent more than three decades in the music industry. Ricky Martin brought a little bit of Latin America down under and showed us he’s still got the moves. You couldn’t help yourself, Ricky’s enthusiasm and pulse was absolutely infectious. Throughout the night Martin performed his greatest hits including Livin La Vida Loca, Maria, She Bangs and Shake Your Bon Bon. This year’s tour was different compared to his first ever Australian Tour in 2013. The songs were stripped back and changed around to give them a different feel compared to the original versions. She Bangs was much slower and had a rock genre feel to it. Livin La Vida Loca took everyone back to the 90s while Ricky put on a spectacular performance on top of an old mustang which was the highlight of the night. Fans loved the new renditions that were reproduced.
When Martin returned to the stage he spent some time talking to the crowd. “Good evening Sydney, how are you?” The crowd went wild! “I’m here to have a good time, are you ready to have a good time?” The crowd responded YES! with excitement. “It’s been a very beautiful tour here in Australia and this is where I live, I’m so thankful because you opened your arms and made me feel like I’m an Australian”. “Tonight I guess I just want to have a good time, this is my mission when I get on stage it’s all about being in touch with our emotions and not to be judgemental”. Ricky told us to embrace our emotions, leave our soul on stage & not to be afraid of what people think & that’s exactly what we did that evening. He wanted everyone to have fun, let go and live in the moment. “I’m just going to beg you to please allow yourself to go there, please feel free. Let’s fly, let’s touch the sky. Can we just forget about what people think & be free for the next two hours? Can we do that yes or no?” The crowd responded with a Yes. “This is the attitude” Ricky proudly said “I don’t care what people say, I don’t care what people think”- “Now okay let’s sing”. Martin captivated the audience with his ballads Vuelve & I Am Made Of You which were very special to him & close to his heart. He showed emotion, passion & a real connection with the lyrics which was mesmerising.
Throughout the show Ricky continually asked his fans to promise him that they were going to leave his show feeling happy. Ricky as always takes you on a beautiful journey in his shows. What’s consistent, and all Ricky Martin fans will definitely agree is that his pure heart and humble soul overtakes and exceeds you beyond his hip shaking seductive moves. You can really see the strong connection Ricky has with his fans, he is an inspiration to many from young to old & he’s used his musical career to be a voice for humanity.
Martin welcomed fellow coach Delta to the stage as they performed two breathtaking & powerful duets together Nobody Wants To Be Lonely & Private Emotion. It was truly a spectacular moment between two musicians who share the same passion & love for music, the connection they had shined through their performance.
The night was drawing to an end & Ricky asked his fans “do you want some more?” the crowd screamed with joy and excitement as they didn’t want the Latin Carnival to end. He then had the crowd going wild, up on their feet dancing to an upbeat Spanish song. Martin had the audience copying his every dance move, patting their stomachs and reciting “I don’t care“. He said people should be proud of their dancing. “I want people in the office on Monday to say ‘I saw you at the Ricky Martin concert and you looked ridiculous’. That’s what I want.”
He ended the show on a high with a spectacular finale with all-time favourite The Cup Of Life keeping the same energy flowing throughout the night. As the confetti fell into the crowd Ricky wrapped around a joint Puerto Rican & Australian flag representing his proud Puerto Rican & Australian heritage as his music united people from every part of the world as one – “Puerto Rico & Australia united for music, God bless you all thank you & see you next time”. After the show the crowd continued dancing & singing to Ricky’s songs with an extended Latino after party scattered around the entrance of Allphones Arena. There was a real sense of joy in the air the whole night. He sure had us Livin La Vida Loca!
RICKY MARTIN AT ALLPHONES ARENA, SYDNEY – 30TH APRIL 2015
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