In reggaeton, as in rap, performers have a macho compulsion to outdo each other, usually with faster, smoother and wittier rhymes. But by any standard, singer Don Omar earned top bragging rights Thursday at the Gibson Amphitheatre with a sensational show that was part Broadway musical, part born-again revival and part Latino party singalong.
This dazzling performance even eclipsed Daddy Yankee, another handsome and charismatic Afro-Puerto Rican, who recently appeared in concert on a huge throne to underscore his self-proclaimed title as king of reggaeton. With his hit "Gasolina," Yankee has managed to keep his second-place rival in his exhaust -- until now.
It's no coincidence that Omar, long the prince of reggaeton, named his latest album "King of Kings." It's a smart and powerful work that gave Thursday's show both its main concept and content. But peel away the bravado and you discover Omar's true message, one of uplifting spirituality and determination inspired by, as he put it, "the real king of kings."
What? Religion and family values in a reggaeton act?
Yes, plus some outstanding dancing in a field known for its raunchy club move called El Perreo, or Doggy Dance, which is little more than simulated sex standing up.
Don Omar put together a company of 16 skilled dancers for this tour, many with Broadway experience, under the imaginative direction of co-choreographers and co-directors Maria Torres and Paul Becker. The result is a sort of reggaeton ballet, with elaborate moves that draw from hip-hop, salsa, classical, acrobatics and the martial arts. (One dancer slides amazingly across the floor on his head at one point, and others glide around with wheels on their heels.) Omar's company proved with sheer talent that reggaeton can be sexy without being cheap and lurid.
By setting a higher dance standard, Don Omar is also ridding reggaeton of its raunchy, sexist nature. He's sending a message that the human body, especially female, doesn't have to be crudely objectified to be admired. It can be elevated to an art form if trained to move in ways beyond pelvic thrusts.
Although he started performing at a young age and served as backup singer for the seminal reggaeton duo Hector and Tito, William Omar Landron has made only two studio recordings as Don Omar. "The Last Don," from 2003, yielded some catchy but typical reggaeton hits, such as "Dale Don Dale" and "Dile (Otra Noche)." But it is his latest album, produced by keyboardist and deejay Eliel, that has set him above the pack, breaking away from the genre's tired party themes and its assembly-line sound.
