He may have a strong bite, but the ladies loved Pitbull at the Ogden on Wednesday.
When I entered for show Wednesday night, I noticed two black and red patterned bras strewn across the monitors like the theater was a boudoir. Coincidentally, I observed a larger quotient of ladies in the building than the usual rap show, as dozens of primped and pretty women lined the stage awaiting the Florida rapper’s appearance.
Once Pitbull emerged from behind an elaborate conga set up, it was clear why the female audience was losing their undergarments: dressed like a Miami-centric James Bond, Pitbull walked on stage in a handsome three-piece suit and slick shades, his shiny bald head beaming as bright as his smile.
He worked the mic with a mesmerizing hip shake, the bottom half of his body moving with a steadied fury as he flowed through “305 Anthem,” “Sticky” and “Bojangles.” His Cuban swagger was intensely sexual, and I found it hard to take my eyes off of the rapper as he laced the live hi-hat and pounding conga beats with each word.
The Trina track “Go Girl,” brought Pitbull to the edge of the stage with the breathy verses and obscene gestures while his hands provided a visual accompaniment to the dirty lyrics. “Blanco” continued to showcase ʾٲܱ’s hypnotizing body grooves and the lovely ladies all around me wailed for more.
A sample of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” bled into the Freestyle Debbie Deb classic “When I Hear Music,” which provided the backing to ʾٲܱ’s own “Fuego,” followed by a whirlwind of gorgeous Spanish tracks my untrained ear couldn’t quite catch.
But it didn’t matter, because ʾٲܱ’s energy and velvety enunciation translated to my own pure waist-wiggling bliss, and he closed with the baile funk thumping “Culo” and “ I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho).” He came back for an encore with the Ying Yang Twins’ “Shake,” pumping the crowd up for “The Anthem” and “Krazy.”
His band’s animated moves added to the beautiful chaos, ʾٲܱ’s drummer stealing some of the show with flailing octopus-like arms and a huge, happy grin. The night came to an end with the appropriately scandalous “Room Service” and Pitbull exited the stage in a sweat-soaked but still crisp oxford and vest.
I’ve never been moved enough by a performance to throw my underwear on stage, but ʾٲܱ’s super grimy sexed-up set had me thinking second thoughts. His Tom Jones saunter had me wishing I wasn’t wearing an army-green sports bra.
Bree Davies plays bass in , writes about her obsessions with Iggy Pop and Lil’ Wayne in and repeatedly fakes her own death at . She is also a self-proclaimed addict.
