At about 8:15 p.m, the audience, composed mainly of women of all ages, started clapping their hands in apparent anxiety waiting for him to come out on stage.
“Clap, clap,” was all that was heard, until the lights went out at 8:30 p.m., and the stage was engulfed by smoke and bright, purple and blue lights.
Thousands of screams united to welcome Puerto Rican pop-star Chayanne, who rocked a nearly sold-out Laredo Entertainment Center on Friday, May 27 in a two-hour concert.
Dressed in black jeans, a black vest, and a white shirt, Chayanne quickly took the stage and kicked off the concert with his Latin, fast paced hits “Salome” and “Boom, Boom,” while his dance group, composed of four men and two women, performed with him, as lyrics were displayed on two electronic marquees above the stage.
Chayanne continued with a skit that featured an animated representation of him that imitated all of his moves. The animation followed his steps until Chayanne “asked it” to leave the screen, something that drew some laughs from both the singer and his fans.
He then continued with several ballads, including “Y Tu Te Vas” to which fans loudly sang along, that drew more and more screams from the evidently fascinated audience.
It was while he sang a ballad that Chayanne leaped off the stage and took a rose from the hands of one of his fans and gave her a hug and a kiss. He continued doing this throughout the entire concert, to the obvious delight of his fans, and moved across the stage to be close to everyone in the arena.
“I wish I could have been in the first rows, so he could have blown me a kiss, and I could have given him a hug, a kiss, flowers, touched his hand, or given him a napkin so he could wipe his sweat with,” said Iliana Vargas, a TAMIU student present at the concert.
Chayanne continued with other songs and a highlight was reached when he announced it was time to sing “Tiempo de Vals,” which he dedicated to all the women “who still feel they are fifteen.”
The concert continued with other hits including up-beat hits like “Fiesta en America” and “Palo Bonito,” where he and his dancers displayed intricate choreographies.
“Chayanne was great and the audience was enthusiastic!” Sonya Sanchez, LEC marketing director said. “I especially love loved his dancing. He is one of the best dancers I have ever seen. At 38, he still shows a lot of youthful energy,” she added.
Chayanne left the stage after singing “Torero,” but the fans were not ready to let him go. For more than five minutes, they asked for his return as they turned on cell-phones to illuminate the darkened arena with hundreds of colors.
“Otra! Otra! Otra!” they shouted.
Chayanne responded to their requests, retook the stage, and gave the audience two more interpretations.
After singing “Provocame,” where he once again displayed his dancing talent and which made almost everyone present stand-up and dance, Chayanne thanked the audience and left the stage.
Slowly, the more than 6,000 fans left the arena apparently very satisfied.
“I really enjoyed that he sang all his old songs and his new songs, his opening act, his opening dance routine, his interaction with the audience, his dancing throughout the concert, how he came back and sang two more songs,” Vargas said. “The concert in general was excellent, and I would go again if he came back. I would buy tickets in the front row because it is worth it. I loved the whole concert,” she added.
The concert was the fifth of the 27 scheduled concerts of Chayanne’s tour to promote his new album “Mi Tiempo,” which hit store shelves April 10. The tour began earlier this month in Florida, in front of approximately 20,000 fans, and will continue to other parts of the U.S. and Latin America.