After multiple shows in New York during the summer/fall leg of the “Party After Dark” Tour, Pitbull brought the tour north to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. The sold-out crowd had options to see Pitbull at five locations during the summer and fall legs before he looped back around ahead of a European leg. Unlike the summer, special guest T-Pain did not come for this show leaving Pitbull the lone performer for the evening.
Before Pitbull graced the stage, one of his DJs hyped the crowd up by playing music and getting the fans in the right mood. With the DJ on stage, there was a rush of fans trying to get inside for “Mr. 305.” The entire audience contained people of all ages. Whether it was people in their 60s or little kids, Pitbull had a diverse audience spanning a generation or two.
Once Pitbull hopped on stage and began “Don’t Stop the Party,” off of 2012’s Global Warming: Meltdown, the dance party inside the casino arena started. For an hour and a half, Pitbull delivered hit after hit leaving the audience wowed and out of breath. When Pitbull ran on stage in the dark, from the back of the arena you could see a sea of phones leading to the barricade. The last time he was in the general area was Sept. 13 in Hartford and Sept. 12 on Long Island. Even if it was three short months, the excitement was in the air.
The Mohegan Sun Arena is home to the Connecticut Sun. So the lower bowl seats are pulled out on metal stands. Throughout the night, fans danced with each other or by themselves. They also jumped to the music, the stands swayed back and forth. Like the lower bowl, the upper deck was also having a party. They did not sit down for one second during the show.
During each song, the screens off to the sides and behind Pitbull and his seven-piece backing band and six backup dancers showed the audience. Each concertgoer had the same surprised and happy look on their faces. They were singing along and dancing to each show and you could just see the raw and pure joy on their faces throughout the night.
Throughout the show, Pitbull and his dancers would run off stage after certain songs to change into different stage clothes. This led to Pitbull’s on-stage DJ playing music to keep the good energy alive. Whether it was Aerosmith & Run DMC’s “Walk This Way,” or Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison,” the DJ did a great job at not letting the show come to a screeching halt.
When Pitbull and the dancers returned, they all had corresponding colors. Pitbull looked as snazzy as ever in his black, white, and red suit jacks. He dawned a charming smile each time a new color was debuted. His amazingly gorgeous dancers also had matching colors as they strutted around the stage for the entire 90 minutes. Pitbull was able to cleverly play off the dancers and vice versa to create a cheeky yet mesmerizing show.
It’s impressive that Pitbull has a backing band behind him. Sometimes popstars and rappers do not carry any other on-stage personnel with them. But the previously mentioned seven-piece band was spectacular. There was guitar, bass, saxophone, drums, keyboards and percussion that all created a beautiful live wall of sound behind Pitbull. Having a band play live enhanced the pop sound that Pitbull has polished off so well. It adds another complex but necessary layer to the live performance.
It was great to see Pitbull give a nod to other artists. Covering others’ tunes was his way of acknowledging their impact on him. Pitbull rapped a beautiful and clever version of Elic Crespo’s “Suavemente” which had the fans dancing all over the arena. He also included a cover of “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee in his set. Hearing the familiar intro had fans looking at each as to say “I know this one.” It was great to hear Pitbull’s rendition of people’s favorite tracks.
In between each song, Pitbull would give some advice to the audience and give them a pep talk while also thanking them for coming out to the show. At one point, he talked about how his one teacher, Hope Martinez had changed his life. He then told the sold-out crowd that he had built 12 schools nationwide as part of the S.L.A.M! program. S.L.A.M stands for “Sports Leadership, Arts & Management.” Those schools are “non-profit educational organization supporting the expansion of K-12 tuition-free, public charter schools in underrepresented communities nationwide.”
Upon hearing this, the crowd roared in approval. It’s hard to imagine what The Beatles at Shea Stadium sounded like back in the 60s. Or, if you’ve never been to a Taylor Swift “Eras” Tour show, you might not be able to imagine what a roaring audience sounds like. A close third is any Pitbull show. He had the audience in a frenzy at the start of each song and at the end of the night.
At the tail end of the show, the setlist got swapped around slightly. Instead of ending on “ Give Me Everything” off of 2011’s Planet Pit, he ended on the smash hit “Fireball” off of 2014’s Globalization. The quick change in songs at the end of a great subtle switch flowed nicely into the end of the show. When fans left the area, they all had smiles around.
Pitbull is an entertainer that can easily fill up any arena, theater, or amphitheater. His hard work, drive and dedication for a great show spills out into the audience. It leaves the crowd with a lasting impression. The entire show is perfectly choreographed and the musicianship just doesn’t stop at “Mr. Worldwide.” He also surrounds himself with the best dancers and band to make sure that the show is as best as humanly possible. Seeing Pitbull live is an experience that everyone must do once in their life. Do yourself a favor and see him as soon as possible, you’ll witness one of the best and most pure entertainers on the road.
Pitbull setlist: Don’t Stop the Party, Hotel Room Service, International Love/Bounce Generation Sweet Child o’ Mine/Rain Over Me (Guns N’ Roses cover), Whoop! (There It Is) (Tag Team cover), I Feel Good, Suavemente (Elvis Crespo cover), The Anthem, Gasolina (Daddy Yankee cover), Culo, I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho), On the Floor/I Like It/DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love, Timber, Time of Our Lives, Give Me Everything, Fireball.
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