Euphoria

Euphoria

1. (n.) - a feeling of happiness, confidence, or well-being, sometimes exaggerated in pathological states as mania.

2. (N). - an ongoing tour by Enrique Iglesias in support of his current album of the same name. The tour officially commenced on January 20, 2011 in Puerto Rico.

Enrique Iglesias is the type of artist that I've always had a passing appreciation for, but didn't pay much attention to until moving to Mexico.

Don't get me wrong; I have enjoyed a handful of popular singles that were released in the United States to critical and commercial acclaim ("Rhythm Divine," "Bailamos," "Be With You," "Do You Know?," "Hero," "Escape"), but he was little more than the singer that could be really cute if not for that mole.

And then he ditched the mole and was, of course, gorgeous. But I still didn't know a lot about his music.

When we moved to Guadalajara in November, I started seeing a lot of posters (like the one above) advertising the Euphoria tour. Being a concert lover, I thought it would be fun to go, even if I wasn't as familiar with him as I am with other artists. But we already have plans to see the Backstreet Boys, Lady GaGa, and Kylie Minogue later this spring, and regardless of what any of you may think about exchange rates, living in Mexico isn't saving us any money. And so it was decided that we would sit this one out.

A few weeks ago, I heard the dirtiest song on the radio while driving to work and, being as inappropriate as I am, took an immediate liking to it. For those of you living stateside, you may or may not know the song as "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)," but on this side of the border, the DJ's have no qualms playing a slightly more explicit version. It wasn't until returning home that evening that I realized Enrique was the artist with the potty mouth. And so I came to love him that much more. Even so, thoughts of the concert had faded at this point, and it came as no small surprise when I learned earlier this week that TJ had snagged a couple of tickets for last night's performance at Auditorio Telmex as a special surprise for me. I guess those Valentine's chocolates really paid off this year!

It was a full house at Auditorio Telmex

Since I was home with a cold yesterday, and because I like to be prepared for concerts, I managed to track down the set list on Wikipedia and promptly set about downloading the songs that weren't currently in my iTunes library. That's when I discovered that Enrique is responsible for several Spanish-language songs I've been hearing and enjoying (but not quite understanding) on the radio these past three months, including "Cuando me Enamoro," which I have been affectionately calling "Cuando Eva Perón," because it, despite not making sense, and knowing it was incorrect, was all my ears were hearing. And because I've apparently been living under a large rock, I was unaware that he is also responsible for the English tracks "I Like It" and "Heartbeat."

And there you have it. Whether I knew it or not, I already loved 10 songs on a 14-song setlist. I knew this was going to be amazing.

And it was.

Euphoria Set List

"Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)"

"Heartbeat"

"No Me Digas Que No"

"Rhythm Divine"

"Bailamos"

"Por Amarte"

"Experiencia Religiosa"

"Lloro Por Ti"

"Cuando Me Enamoro"

"Be With You"

"Dímelo" ("Do You Know")

"Heroe"

"Escape"

"I Like It"

Enrique took the stage at 10:03pm, just as the Kings of Leon song "Sex on Fire" came to a conclusion over the auditorium's sound system. Do I think this was a coincidence? Enrique knows he's hot, sooo...no, no I don't.

Like most concerts, Euphoria started late. Unlike most artists, Enrique Iglesias actually apologized for this, explaining that he was sick. OMG...just like me! I think from now on I'll pretend that he gave me this cold.

And even if he didn't give it to me, there were certainly plenty of opportunities for him to pass it on to others. Despite filling the auditorium to capacity with star-crazed fans, this popular performer is not afraid of audience interaction. He invited a family of three to the stage as he performed "Por Amarte" and "Experiencia Religiosa..." and then shared a tequila shot with them. He followed this by bringing a younger boy up on stage to provide assistance with the ballad "Lloro Por Ti." Thankfully, no tequila was issued. Audience participation culminated during the encore with a very up close and personal dance with an audience member during "Heroe" that had just about everyone blushing.

TJ was somewhat put off by the concert due to Enrique's illness. Something about blowing his nose, drinking herbal tea, and lip syncing too much. I, on the other hand, was simply impressed that the old adage "The Show Must Go On!" held true. For instance, in my younger, more countrified days, I witnessed a sick Toby Keith down 4 shots of whisky to "soothe his throat" before declaring that he couldn't continue, issuing a rain check for two months later. And no amount of lip syncing done here could compete with the disaster that was Britney's Circus. Because here, there was a fair amount of actual singing.

Great song selection. Perfect mix of singing and audience interaction. It started late, but not Madonna-late. Beautiful venue. Good acoustics. Wonderful boyfriend who surprised me with all of the above.

Overall, a great concert experience.

If not for the colds that TJ, Enrique, and I share, it would have been euphoric.

And as time goes by, I'm sure this story will turn into "The night Enrique Iglesias gave me mono."