Re: Jennifer Lopez - Do It Well
^ Timmy, I love you! I so agree! She's at a point where she is stable in her life. Why can't people just accept that? She's never done anything to harm anybody. So, just let her be. Thanks.
Her show was amazing! Check out this great review!
High on J. Lo
And higher on her husband, Marc Anthony
Monday, October 01, 2007
BY JAY LUSTIG
Star-Ledger Staff
POP/ROCK
Jennifer Lopez's Friday night set at the Mark Etess Arena at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City started with a recitation that went, in part, "I will brave the unknown, brave the uncharted."
image
Then she did just that.
Lopez has been releasing hit-filled albums since 1999 (her next, "Brave," comes out Oct. 9). But, preoccupied by her busy film career and all the other distractions involved in the J. Lo lifestyle, she has never gotten around to putting together a concert tour until now.
That's right. Friday's show launched her first concert tour. Ever.
She demonstrated no signs of nervousness as she presented a slick, fast-paced set, with all the trappings of pop divadom. A troupe of backing dancers joined her on many songs, and she made a number of quick costume changes (the loose-fitting outfits she wore won't help dispel the rumors that she is pregnant). There were fireworks, confetti, huge video screens, and hydraulic lifts for entrances and exits.
She has more going for her than any tour virgin in pop history. Fans know her songs by heart. As an A-list celebrity, she creates excitement just by showing up: People are thrilled just to be in the same room with her, and be able to grab a shot of her on their cell phones. And, probably, no first-time tourer has done it with such a stellar opening act/duet partner.
Salsa and pop singer Marc Anthony, her husband, has had plenty of hits of his own. But he settled for second billing, realizing, perhaps, that while he is a seasoned arena headliner, Lopez's presence makes the tour an "event."
At Friday's show, which kicked off a two-night stand at the Taj (there will also be shows at Madison Square Garden, Sunday and Oct., comedian Joey Vega opened with a short set. Then Anthony and Lopez each appeared for slightly more than an hour, separately; they both sang in Spanish and English, though Anthony stuck mostly to the former, and Lopez to the latter.
They closed the show with two Spanish duets, "Por Arriesgarnos" (with Anthony making a dramatic entrance, mid-song) and "No Me Ames." Each duet ended with a kiss.
Anthony was backed by 15 musicians and singers, and Lopez used a smaller version of the same band; her music is less layered than his, so she didn't need some of the horn players and percussionists. She stuck mostly to upbeat, beat-heavy pop songs like "Waiting for Tonight," "Let's Get Loud" and "Jenny From the Block," with an occasional ballad such as "Me Haces Falta" (from her first Spanish-language album, "Como Ama Una Mujer," released in March).
She sang reasonably well, though she's more of a Janet Jackson than a Whitney Houston. In other words, she's not a stunning vocal stylist, but she doesn't have to be. She gets by on the strength of her material, and her production, and her personality. She's not a Madonna, either -- she's not particularly interested in making statements, or pushing buttons.
Anthony's set had a different flavor, with more of an emphasis on his band's powerful, relentless grooves. But Anthony also left no doubt who is the vocal master in the family, holding notes for impossibly long periods of time in the songs "Aguanile" and "Hasta Que Te Conoci."
It might have been an act, but both Anthony and Lopez seemed to be relishing the event.
"It's such a special evening, in so many ways," said Anthony. "You guys are the first to witness this moment in our lives."
"How amazing is Marc?" Lopez asked, soon after she took the stage, then virtually repeated her husband's comment about it being a special night.
Bathing in the audience's admiration, a little later, she seemed to be genuinely moved, and said, "Don't let me get all emotional, because I know it won't stop!"
