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Romeo Santos at his sold-out concert this past Saturday in Madison Square Garden. Check out his throne. (Photo courtesy of Manny Zoom/El Especial newspaper)

By AMARIS CASTILLO
Channel: Entertainment

Even a few blocks away from Madison Square Garden, the zealous anticipation to see Romeo Santos in concert this past Saturday was unmistakable.

Two young women with freshly blown-out hair walked briskly toward the famed New York City venue, where the bachata singer would soon perform the first of three sold-out concerts. The shorter girl, filled to the brim with excitement, belted out a few lyrics from one of Romeo’s songs with an accompanying jig. Her friend smiled knowingly at her.

Inside the MSG lobby, concertgoers – mostly women in their 20s - lined up to buy themselves liquor, while kiosks with Romeo Santos T-shirts for purchase were bare for the most part. Fans came in all ages, however, and a surprising number of women looked to be in their 40s and 50s.

The attire of Romeo fans was an interesting blend of casual and club-ready wear; some women bared their gams in incredibly short dresses, complete with make-up and hair done. After all, this was a Romeo Santos concert. The Dominican-Puerto Rican 30-year-old is a certified pretty boy – an artist who makes sure he looks his best before any photo opp. And this concert was a huge moment for the former Aventura frontman, who recently embarked on a solo career after the widely popular bachata group separated ways over a year ago. 

The lights soon dimmed inside the MSG stadium, and screams increased to ear-threatening volumes. There sat Santos, his back to the audience, in a throne… an intricate one painted in gold with a velvet back. As his throne did a slow 180-degree turn towards his audience, the crooner played with a toothpick in his mouth and looked suavely at the crowd. He took his glasses off with the same slow pace, got up from his seat and walked closer to the audience.

The concert theme grew obvious; Romeo Santos is a king – and his fans are his loyal subjects. The singer’s microphone stand had a crown at its bottom, and a red and yellow crest with his RS initials appeared on the five flat screens behind the stage. Santos wasted no time and jumped right into “You,” off his debut solo album Formula, Vol. 1. His band, a complex mixture of percussions and guitars, played beautifully during the entire show. After dipping into Aventura’s catalog with “Por Un Segundo,” Santos returned to his throne and greeted his fans. 

“Three Madison Square Gardens… not bad for someone who was told they wouldn’t make it solo,” Santos said. “It’s normal for people to talk. That’s life.” 

Clearly, life has been pretty good to Santos this past year. His first single “You” shot to number one, as well as “Promise,” a bilingual treat featuring Usher. The singer also released his third single “Mi Santa” recently, which has garnered close to 2 million views already on VEVO.

The MSG stage is familiar to Romeo. Back in 2010, Aventura had three sold-out concerts at the stadium – an impressive feat for a group that recorded most of its music in Spanish and independent of big-name producers.

“When I proclaim myself as king, it’s because you guys make me feel like that,” Santos said, mid-concert. “You guys make me feel like a fucking king!” And with that, the singer revealed a glittered glove, grabbed his crotch, and began mimicking Michael Jackson’s famous moves.

He stopped after a few seconds and told the audience, “I always wanted to do that shit!”

For a ‘king,’ Santos was dressed pretty casually, in a metrosexual kind of way. The singer donned three different outfits throughout the night, which consisted of mostly solid colored jackets, skinny jeans and boots.

The concert was filled with surprises, including an appearance by 22-year-old Prince Royce, who sang two of his popular hits, “Stand by Me” and “Corazón Sin Cara.” The youngster clearly takes after the elder bachatero in his lovelorn lyrics and sweet, high-pitched singing voice. By inviting the rising star to his show, Santos made clear he anoints Royce and the new generation of bilingual bachateros as disciples under his careful watch. 

In a bold move, Santos was strapped to a platform that ascended him above the crowd and faced him in different directions. “In a Romeo concert, there are no bad seats,” the singer joked while in the air. “Everyone enjoys the show.”

And it seemed as though everyone did.

Santos knows the effect he has on his fans. As the night went on, each one-liner and flirty wink that derived from the singer was followed by hysterical cries from the audience. Even Santos’ rhetorical pleas for water were received with screams. At home, the singer said, no one cares when he drinks water. “But here it’s like, ‘Oh my god, Romeo is drinking water!’” the singer said, mimicking his own fans. As cocky as that comment may have come across, the message didn’t register with his fans, who laughed along with the singer, adoration in their wide eyes. 

Romeo’s sweet voice cradled numerous songs throughout the concert, both from his debut album and from his time with Aventura, such as “Mi Corazoncito,” and “Dile Al Amor.” Though his music as a solo artist seemed to be ingested rather smoothly by his audience (he performed an energetic dance music song that was unlike anything from Aventura), Santos played it safe by making sure he paid respects to his roots. He may call himself the ‘King of Bachata’ now, but he surely hasn’t forgotten that three other men once shared that title with him.

Santos saved the best for last, and brought out Usher for “Promise.” The crowd erupted when the R&B singer busted out with his own bachata moves, which he first showed off at last year’s Latin Grammys.

As confetti poured down on the audience, a sweaty Romeo thanked his band members one by one and, of course, his fans.

As 64-year-old Zoraida Rivera left the concert with her grandson, she reflected on the event. “I like him [Romeo Santos] solo more than before,” the retired factory worker said. Her grandson, 18-year-old Andy Ramos, said he felt the concert was “pretty good,” but liked Aventura better.

Not only girls like Santos, who has revolutionized bachata and helped bring the genre to the mainstream. 

Andrés Cano, who attended with his brother and a friend, was all smiles. 

“Romeo is awesome. He’s here, and he’s here by himself,” the 28-year-old said. “He’s graduated.”

Romeo is set to perform again at MSG on Feb. 23 and 24.