Colombian flags dotted the stands on Friday night, when 12,502 received the singer and rapper from Medellín, in the city to support his 2020 album Papi Juancho.
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After Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias christening a return to concerts at the Bell Center after a 19-month hiatus two weeks ago, it was another Latin pop superstar, Maluma, who headlined the arena’s second show since the pandemic. Colombian flags dotted the stands on Friday night, when 12,502 received the singer and rapper from Medellín, in the city to support his 2020 album Papi Juancho.
Before even taking the stage, the Bell Center had a youthful and festive atmosphere as reggaeton hits echoed through the PA with thunderous bass. The 27-year-old performed in a round, on a plus-shaped stage covered with LED screens. Suspended in midair was a four-sided screen, while the backing band performed in the recesses below the stage. Flanked by eight dancers and clad in a black sequin jacket, the pink and blue haired singer wasted no time giving the audience what they wanted, leaping to global hit Hawaii. He stopped to give the crowd a chance to sing the song’s Spanish hook, which most easily accomplished.
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Colombian pop star Maluma performs at the Bell Center in Montreal on Friday, October 22, 2021. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette
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Colombian pop star Maluma performs at the Bell Center in Montreal on Friday, October 22, 2021. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette
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Colombian pop star Maluma performs at the Bell Center in Montreal on Friday, October 22, 2021. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette
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Colombian pop star Maluma performs at the Bell Center in Montreal on Friday, October 22, 2021. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette
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Colombian pop star Maluma performs at the Bell Center in Montreal on Friday, October 22, 2021. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette
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Colombian pop star Maluma performs at the Bell Center in Montreal on Friday, October 22, 2021. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette
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Colombian pop star Maluma performs at the Bell Center in Montreal on Friday, October 22, 2021. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette
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Colombian pop star Maluma performs at the Bell Center in Montreal on Friday, October 22, 2021. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette
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Colombian pop star Maluma performs at the Bell Center in Montreal on Friday, October 22, 2021. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette
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Colombian pop star Maluma performs at the Bell Center in Montreal on Friday, October 22, 2021. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette
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Colombian pop star Maluma performs at the Bell Center in Montreal on Friday, October 22, 2021. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette
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Maluma followed with two more songs by Papi Juancho with more than 100 million reproductions on Spotify each: the rhythmic track of reggeaton Madrid and the slower and rap-heavy Parce. With dancers, vibrant screens above and below, and a stage in the middle of the room, the activity revolved around the affable star, displaying his pearly whites in perpetuity, stomping lightly to the beat, and looking so giddy from the action around him. like those who bought a ticket. “Latinos!” he yelled repeatedly. Besides joking in English and Spanish, he also said a few words in French, saying “Montreal, je t’aime.”
The energy kept increasing. Maluma exchanged voices with his choristers and his record player / accompanist (who irritated the crowd by yelling “Up!”) Before slowing down to the ballad ADMV (Love of my life), with a white piano rising from the middle of the track and rose petals falling from the rafters. He returned to reggaeton much later with Pretty Boy’s Borro Cassette, 2015’s Dirty Boy, and the irresistibly upbeat Felices los 4, with an acoustic guitar intro. In what could first be considered a Bell Center, the website URL of Maluma’s first non-fungible token (NFT) acquirable appeared on the side screens as he and his dancers cut a carpet.
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After a long toast in two languages before Sobrio, the palpable energy from the beginning began to flow, as the intervals between costume changes shortened and codas lengthened. He took time to read the crowd’s signs and invited a seven-year-old boy on stage to celebrate his birthday. It was all a meandering ride to a dramatic ending for the Latin trap gang cut Cuatro Babys. An odd adjustment given the lighter fare above, the heavier song allowed it to levitate (wired) as hellfire and brimstone engulfed the stage.
For a final act, the resurrected Maluma and his enthusiastic dancers returned to where the night began, taking Montréalians on a journey with the hedonistic hit Hawaii with blue lights simulating a relaxing ocean wave. While confetti rained down and the worm sounded effortlessly, Maluma took a poster from the audience, which edited the main lyrics of the song for “Montreal on vacation.” For one night, the Colombian star took Montreal residents on a trip without leaving their city.
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Reference-montrealgazette.com