Luis Miguel is said to be the Frank Sinatra of the latin music world, and on Friday night, he looked the part, too. The best way to describe the evening: controlled chaos. Luis was forty-five minutes late starting and the concert goers were getting restless as they hissed and clapped for Luis to grace the stage. Finally at eight-forty-five, the venue lights went off and the consoles on stage lit up as Luis Miguel made a thunderous arrival on stage. His band which consists of all men - is truly a precious commodity to Luis and the best at what they do.

The night started off with “Que Nivel De Mujer” that quickly ensued into a medley of, “Con Tus Besos,” “Suave,” and “Dame,” a song during which a woman threw her undergarments on stage at Luis; not uncommon to witness at one of his concerts.

The mood then changed as Luis commenced to sing songs mainly from his Romance (Warner Music Latina, 1991) album. A repertoire which consisted of “No Me Platiques Mas,” “Contigo En La Distancia,” “Usted,” “La Puerta,” “La Barca,” which compelled the audience to sing (myself included). “No Se Tu,” and “Inolvidable” then ended the medley. Luis Miguel sings with great conviction and with a sense of life experience that transmutes to the poem-like lyrics.

Luis followed along the same vein as he went on to sing ballads, “Hasta Que Me Olvides,” “Por Debajo De La Mesa,” “La Gloria Eres Tu,” “Besame Mucho, ” and “Te Necessito.” Luis Miguel is to the latin world of music what Frank Sinatra has been to the English speaking world. Luis sang ballads that were mainly penned by famed legendary latin composer, Armando Manzanero. Manzanero, being a modern latin day version of George Gershwin, has had as great an impact on the latin music scene as the Gershwins had in their time. Manzanero’s compositions are celebrated and renowned. Many international artists have sung Manzanero’s compositions including, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Andrea Bocelli, Christina Aguilera, and Elvis Presley – to name a few.

The evening continued as Luis stepped off stage upon the end of the medley and eleven Mariachis stepped on stage and commenced with “De Que Manera Te Olvido?” The audience went completely crazy. Luis then came back on stage and they ensued with various songs including, “Si Nos Dejan,” “El Rey,” and “La Bikina.” At one point the Mexican flagged came upon the large console on stage, which acted as an inspiration and source of tremendous pride for all Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in attendance, as they riotously screamed and clapped.

Luis wrapped up the evening with “Decidate,” “Sueltame,” and “Cuando Calienta El Sol.” It was quite an eventful evening – one that I will not soon forget. Luis Miguel is very charismatic and has an incomparable stage presence. I highly recommend catching a live show.

For more information, visit his website.