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Summer is in full swing and so is Enrique's album! With the release of Euphoria last
month we all watched and waited to see what the final numbers were! As I'm working
on this newsletter Itunes reports that I Like it has reached the 1 million download mark!
We all know hard Enrique has worked on this album and how thrilled he must be!
Now the waiting game for tour dates to be released! I look forward to seeing more of
you and meeting some of you I haven't had a chance to!
This months newsletter is extra special since some of us were able to see Enrique up
close at the The Today Show and Early Show...I hope you enjoy their experiences as
much as I did!
Again I can't thank Tina and Linda for all they do! You girls are truly my rock!
month we all watched and waited to see what the final numbers were! As I'm working
on this newsletter Itunes reports that I Like it has reached the 1 million download mark!
We all know hard Enrique has worked on this album and how thrilled he must be!
Now the waiting game for tour dates to be released! I look forward to seeing more of
you and meeting some of you I haven't had a chance to!
This months newsletter is extra special since some of us were able to see Enrique up
close at the The Today Show and Early Show...I hope you enjoy their experiences as
much as I did!
Again I can't thank Tina and Linda for all they do! You girls are truly my rock!
I
THE TODAY SHOW AND EARLY SHOW
By Linda
We first found out in mid-April that Enrique would be coming to New York City to appear on the Today Show on July 16, 2010. Right away the emails
and excitement started as we made plans. At first we started with our 2007 Today Show group, but eventually Marisol said she couldn’t come and we
added Lynn to our group consisting of Diana, Wanda and me. There were emails, phone calls, flight arrangements, and hotel searching over the next
few weeks. I searched online for VIP passes and found out we could possibly get them if we subscribed to the Today Show newsletter, but not long
after that Sole found out that management was going to provide passes for a group of us. Soon we had most of our plans set.
At the last minute, Melinda was able to join us and we anticipated meeting Sole, Maria, Bridget and a number of other fans at the show too.
In June, we found out that Enrique would also be at the CBS Early Show for a prerecorded appearance. We had a link to order passes for the show
and got them. Now we had two exciting things to do on July 16! We planned, we packed and we made signs. Everything we needed to do to be ready
for the big day.
I wasn't sure what was going to happen to my plans, because on July 10, my brother unexpectedly passed away. I decided to just make the
arrangements that needed to be made and then I'd resume or cancel plans as necessary. As things worked out, all funeral arrangements were made
for July 13. I notified my friends that I would not need to cancel our plans.
On Wednesday, July 14, Wanda and Lynn arrived and we picked them up at the Philadelphia Airport. They arrived late after various delays for each
of them. As it turned out, their unrelated delays actually got them to the airport in Philadelphia within a half hour of each other. That worked out
perfectly. Thursday morning we were rushing around getting ready and burning some DVDs until it was time to head for NYC.
Wanda, Lynn and I took the train together into the city that afternoon. Lynn brought some pictures she took from her first Enrique concert to show us
while we were on the train. We talked about Enrique a little bit, well, a lot. LOL We met Diana at the hotel after a brief stop for lunch at Penn station.
We got settled in our rooms and we were pleased with them. Then we watched the Spanish gossip shows on TV in the late afternoon. We went
exploring on the nearby streets to find somewhere to get something to eat for dinner and returned to our hotel rooms to eat and watch Premios
Juventud. Melinda came right after we picked up our dinners.
Enrique sang early into the show, but we didn't want to miss anything and continued to watch while we took turns showering and getting ready for bed.
Meanwhile I was getting text messages and phone calls from other fans headed for the Today Show, some that I knew and some I didn’t know well.
After considering the directions we had gotten from management, we decided to get up at 4:30 am to get to the Today Show before 6 am. In hindsight,
it would have been better had we gone earlier. We were following my map to get to Rockefeller Plaza, but a taxi driver stopped and told us to go
another way since the road was blocked, something we hadn't realize. That was so nice of him! So we finally arrived at VIP check in and ended up
behind a lot of people. Sole encouraged us to make our way to the front, but we were a bit intimidated by all the people we would have to squeeze
past. Maria caught up with Laura from the UK and with us. Sole came and got us and snaked us through the crowd. We were now right up at the
stage next to the catwalk on the left side. It was packed with a lot of people and even more so with our group squeezed in and it was extremely hot.
Soon after we got there, Melinda had to leave. Because it was so hot even before sunrise and with everyone packed in there, she felt like she would
pass out. She watched from across the street and was able to see and hear pretty well. As we waited for the show to begin, Lynn also felt like she
was going to pass out. Security escorted her to sit down inside in the air conditioning for a few minutes and gave her some water. Then she returned
to where we were. I had wanted to wear an Enrique shirt to the Today Show, but the Early Show said no shirts with logos or elaborate designs. So I
had my Enrique shirt over another shirt. It was too hot, I had to take off the Enrique shirt. Originally I had decided not to wear double shirts, but I did
want Enrique to spot his "fans". We hoped he would see our signs.
First the band warmed up and when they took a break, Sole called Laura Jane over and she agreed to sign our CD inserts. We were hoping Enrique’s
signature would follow, but with another show to go to, the opportunity never arrived.
Finally Enrique came out for a sound check. He was all business. He hardly smiled and was very focused on getting the sound set up for the show. It
seemed like at first he was not pleased with the sound. He sang each of the songs and it sounded good to me! He looked great in his sunglasses that
he wore with black t-shirt and white pants. He had on a navy blue hat with khaki green strips on the front. Everything in his outfit looked new, that we
hadn’t seen before. I was surprised; he appeared thinner than I had ever seen him before.
During the sound check, I realized that taking pictures would be a little challenging. I had the hair of the hero-girl-to-be in my viewfinder and hair and
heads in every direction I would turn. But I managed to get some good pictures during sound check as well as during the performance. During the
sound check he didn't walk too far. He was on stage on the catwalk.
When he came back to perform on the show he had taken off the sunglasses. I was happy about that, I prefer to see his eyes! LOL! Enrique
surprised us a few times. He sang Be With You first. Then he announced to us that Pitbull was there. Enrique was extremely excited to be singing live
with Pitbull and it really energized his performance. Because we were in the front, I wish he would not have spent so much time roaming around among
the fans as he sang both of these songs. That way I could get more pictures and see him better. Of course, he was there to please and excite
EVERYONE, not just his biggest fans from the USA Fan Club that were in the front row! Hahahaha!!!!
The highlight of the show was the Hero performance. Although on my TV recording I could see he stuck out the mike for fans to sing and it seemed his
voice was getting a little weak because most likely he was starting to feel sick. At the show we couldn't tell. What we heard sounded good and seemed
normal. Enrique picked the girl right in front of us as Hero Girl. He did all his usual and more, hand on her heart and although it didn’t show on TV, he
ran his hand down her chest. She was a great Hero Girl, throwing her arms around his waist and clinging to him. He walked her down the catwalk,
gave her a kiss on the head while still singing. She was singing every word right along with him and nodding or shaking her head to the questions he
asks in the song. Of course he put her arms around him toward the end of the song and put her hands on his butt. She got the typical Hero Girl
surprised and amused look on her face. Then the end of the song came and she got a GREAT BIG kiss! Wow! Afterwards the Today Show
interviewed both of them and Enrique had his arms around her. When she returned to her place near us I heard her say, “I was calm during the whole
thing. Now I’m shaking.” Aw, who wouldn't be?
That was the end of the Today Show experience. We promptly left Rockefeller Center as fast as we could in a crowd of so many people. It was very
hot and sunny out at this point. My focus was to find Melinda and I found her rather quickly. The five of us in our little group decided to take a ‘cool
off’ break in a deli and get some drinks. It was a refreshing break.
We divided up because I felt that some of us should be in a cab to get to the early show and some should do the half-mile walk. Melinda and I ended
up walking, she insisted she was okay. So we get there a little later than the other girls. We got into the end of the line to get our admittance
bracelets and we joined the other girls who already had their bracelets. Then we waited for over two hours in the sun. They didn’t let us in until the
sound check was finished, but, at least, when we got inside we were standing in a shady area although it was still hot! The wait was long and hot, but
of course, Enrique is always worth it. Hot and sticky took on a new meaning that day! LOL
Since the CBS Early Show was prerecorded and there was only one guest on the agenda that afternoon, Enrique came on very promptly. He greeted
fans on his way in. Enrique started by singing ‘I like It’ solo this time and he sang ‘Hero’ without a Hero Girl. He asked the audience to help him sing
the song and we did. I guess he was really starting to feel sick at that point. On the way out, he stopped and signed a few autographs. I was not in
the right place to even get a picture of him at that time, but I did get some good pictures while he performed. We were a bit close to the front, sort of
in the middle, with lots of heads and tall people to work around to see and take pictures.
It was a very tiring day and difficult being out in the hot sun for so long and standing for hours. My sunscreen did not fail me! PHEW! A personal
encounter with Enrique would have been nice, but of course, that can’t happen every time. I’m sure we will read some stories from excited fans that
had their opportunity that day. I am happy with the fun we had seeing Enrique and happy that our little group did not have a major problem with the
heat making any of us sick. It was over way too soon, but it was worth it to see Enrique.
By Linda
We first found out in mid-April that Enrique would be coming to New York City to appear on the Today Show on July 16, 2010. Right away the emails
and excitement started as we made plans. At first we started with our 2007 Today Show group, but eventually Marisol said she couldn’t come and we
added Lynn to our group consisting of Diana, Wanda and me. There were emails, phone calls, flight arrangements, and hotel searching over the next
few weeks. I searched online for VIP passes and found out we could possibly get them if we subscribed to the Today Show newsletter, but not long
after that Sole found out that management was going to provide passes for a group of us. Soon we had most of our plans set.
At the last minute, Melinda was able to join us and we anticipated meeting Sole, Maria, Bridget and a number of other fans at the show too.
In June, we found out that Enrique would also be at the CBS Early Show for a prerecorded appearance. We had a link to order passes for the show
and got them. Now we had two exciting things to do on July 16! We planned, we packed and we made signs. Everything we needed to do to be ready
for the big day.
I wasn't sure what was going to happen to my plans, because on July 10, my brother unexpectedly passed away. I decided to just make the
arrangements that needed to be made and then I'd resume or cancel plans as necessary. As things worked out, all funeral arrangements were made
for July 13. I notified my friends that I would not need to cancel our plans.
On Wednesday, July 14, Wanda and Lynn arrived and we picked them up at the Philadelphia Airport. They arrived late after various delays for each
of them. As it turned out, their unrelated delays actually got them to the airport in Philadelphia within a half hour of each other. That worked out
perfectly. Thursday morning we were rushing around getting ready and burning some DVDs until it was time to head for NYC.
Wanda, Lynn and I took the train together into the city that afternoon. Lynn brought some pictures she took from her first Enrique concert to show us
while we were on the train. We talked about Enrique a little bit, well, a lot. LOL We met Diana at the hotel after a brief stop for lunch at Penn station.
We got settled in our rooms and we were pleased with them. Then we watched the Spanish gossip shows on TV in the late afternoon. We went
exploring on the nearby streets to find somewhere to get something to eat for dinner and returned to our hotel rooms to eat and watch Premios
Juventud. Melinda came right after we picked up our dinners.
Enrique sang early into the show, but we didn't want to miss anything and continued to watch while we took turns showering and getting ready for bed.
Meanwhile I was getting text messages and phone calls from other fans headed for the Today Show, some that I knew and some I didn’t know well.
After considering the directions we had gotten from management, we decided to get up at 4:30 am to get to the Today Show before 6 am. In hindsight,
it would have been better had we gone earlier. We were following my map to get to Rockefeller Plaza, but a taxi driver stopped and told us to go
another way since the road was blocked, something we hadn't realize. That was so nice of him! So we finally arrived at VIP check in and ended up
behind a lot of people. Sole encouraged us to make our way to the front, but we were a bit intimidated by all the people we would have to squeeze
past. Maria caught up with Laura from the UK and with us. Sole came and got us and snaked us through the crowd. We were now right up at the
stage next to the catwalk on the left side. It was packed with a lot of people and even more so with our group squeezed in and it was extremely hot.
Soon after we got there, Melinda had to leave. Because it was so hot even before sunrise and with everyone packed in there, she felt like she would
pass out. She watched from across the street and was able to see and hear pretty well. As we waited for the show to begin, Lynn also felt like she
was going to pass out. Security escorted her to sit down inside in the air conditioning for a few minutes and gave her some water. Then she returned
to where we were. I had wanted to wear an Enrique shirt to the Today Show, but the Early Show said no shirts with logos or elaborate designs. So I
had my Enrique shirt over another shirt. It was too hot, I had to take off the Enrique shirt. Originally I had decided not to wear double shirts, but I did
want Enrique to spot his "fans". We hoped he would see our signs.
First the band warmed up and when they took a break, Sole called Laura Jane over and she agreed to sign our CD inserts. We were hoping Enrique’s
signature would follow, but with another show to go to, the opportunity never arrived.
Finally Enrique came out for a sound check. He was all business. He hardly smiled and was very focused on getting the sound set up for the show. It
seemed like at first he was not pleased with the sound. He sang each of the songs and it sounded good to me! He looked great in his sunglasses that
he wore with black t-shirt and white pants. He had on a navy blue hat with khaki green strips on the front. Everything in his outfit looked new, that we
hadn’t seen before. I was surprised; he appeared thinner than I had ever seen him before.
During the sound check, I realized that taking pictures would be a little challenging. I had the hair of the hero-girl-to-be in my viewfinder and hair and
heads in every direction I would turn. But I managed to get some good pictures during sound check as well as during the performance. During the
sound check he didn't walk too far. He was on stage on the catwalk.
When he came back to perform on the show he had taken off the sunglasses. I was happy about that, I prefer to see his eyes! LOL! Enrique
surprised us a few times. He sang Be With You first. Then he announced to us that Pitbull was there. Enrique was extremely excited to be singing live
with Pitbull and it really energized his performance. Because we were in the front, I wish he would not have spent so much time roaming around among
the fans as he sang both of these songs. That way I could get more pictures and see him better. Of course, he was there to please and excite
EVERYONE, not just his biggest fans from the USA Fan Club that were in the front row! Hahahaha!!!!
The highlight of the show was the Hero performance. Although on my TV recording I could see he stuck out the mike for fans to sing and it seemed his
voice was getting a little weak because most likely he was starting to feel sick. At the show we couldn't tell. What we heard sounded good and seemed
normal. Enrique picked the girl right in front of us as Hero Girl. He did all his usual and more, hand on her heart and although it didn’t show on TV, he
ran his hand down her chest. She was a great Hero Girl, throwing her arms around his waist and clinging to him. He walked her down the catwalk,
gave her a kiss on the head while still singing. She was singing every word right along with him and nodding or shaking her head to the questions he
asks in the song. Of course he put her arms around him toward the end of the song and put her hands on his butt. She got the typical Hero Girl
surprised and amused look on her face. Then the end of the song came and she got a GREAT BIG kiss! Wow! Afterwards the Today Show
interviewed both of them and Enrique had his arms around her. When she returned to her place near us I heard her say, “I was calm during the whole
thing. Now I’m shaking.” Aw, who wouldn't be?
That was the end of the Today Show experience. We promptly left Rockefeller Center as fast as we could in a crowd of so many people. It was very
hot and sunny out at this point. My focus was to find Melinda and I found her rather quickly. The five of us in our little group decided to take a ‘cool
off’ break in a deli and get some drinks. It was a refreshing break.
We divided up because I felt that some of us should be in a cab to get to the early show and some should do the half-mile walk. Melinda and I ended
up walking, she insisted she was okay. So we get there a little later than the other girls. We got into the end of the line to get our admittance
bracelets and we joined the other girls who already had their bracelets. Then we waited for over two hours in the sun. They didn’t let us in until the
sound check was finished, but, at least, when we got inside we were standing in a shady area although it was still hot! The wait was long and hot, but
of course, Enrique is always worth it. Hot and sticky took on a new meaning that day! LOL
Since the CBS Early Show was prerecorded and there was only one guest on the agenda that afternoon, Enrique came on very promptly. He greeted
fans on his way in. Enrique started by singing ‘I like It’ solo this time and he sang ‘Hero’ without a Hero Girl. He asked the audience to help him sing
the song and we did. I guess he was really starting to feel sick at that point. On the way out, he stopped and signed a few autographs. I was not in
the right place to even get a picture of him at that time, but I did get some good pictures while he performed. We were a bit close to the front, sort of
in the middle, with lots of heads and tall people to work around to see and take pictures.
It was a very tiring day and difficult being out in the hot sun for so long and standing for hours. My sunscreen did not fail me! PHEW! A personal
encounter with Enrique would have been nice, but of course, that can’t happen every time. I’m sure we will read some stories from excited fans that
had their opportunity that day. I am happy with the fun we had seeing Enrique and happy that our little group did not have a major problem with the
heat making any of us sick. It was over way too soon, but it was worth it to see Enrique.
| MY TRIP TO NEW YORK CITY July 16, 2010 By Wanda The Today Show--Soundcheck "working mode," annoyed that his mic is not sounding just right. The Today Show--Sound check 'working mode." "Can You Hear Me?" he shouted out! Enrique's actual words: "New York City! Everybody raise your arms! Clap with me!....here we go!!!!" The Today Show---"I Like It" proud to have Pitbull perform with him The Today Show---My very own unedited video of HERO Click the link below to watch it Hero Performance CBS Early Show----surprised look! CBS Early Show---As Enrique is leaving, there I am holding the CD insert, hoping I will be one of the lucky ones he will stop for. |
| August Newsletter |
| USA EI Fanclub Member Happenings Our very own Tina Celebrates a birthday this month Happy Birthday from your friends at the USA EI Fanclub |
AN ENRIQUE EXPERIENCE
July, 2010
By Lynn
The Appetizer
There were plenty of hardships for me to endure in order to see Enrique perform live June 14th at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City for the Today Show and at CBS Studios
for the Early Show, both financially and physically, but the performances Enrique delivered was worth it all. Though we learned later from his tweet message that he had
been sick, in his words, “very sick”, you couldn't tell it if you were in the audience.
THE TODAY SHOW
It wasn't until I watched him and listened to him on the tape I'd made that I realized he was not his usual self. Still bouncy and happy and entertaining, but when you could
see him close-up on the tape, you saw a little of the strain he was under. Believe me, when you were standing there looking up at him on stage, it wasn't apparent. It must
have been torture for him in that hot weather on stage under all the TV lights.
The heat and humidity almost did me in. In fact, I had to leave the crowd for about ten minutes or so because I was feeling a little faint. I have felt hot and uncomfortable often
in Chicago's nasty summers, but this was a first for me. Happily, after I was able to sit down for a bit in the air-conditioned building and sip the cold water the security guy
kindly gave me, I felt refreshed and ready to rejoin the crowd. I was worried Enrique would have appeared while I was still recuperating, but I was able to get back into my
original place before he showed up.
One thing I found fascinating was his demeanor during the songs he sang in the sound check for the Today Show. When he came out on the small stage, of course, the fans
went crazy. It wasn't as though he didn't know we were there, but he was concentrating single-mindedly on the technical aspect of how he was going to sound. I enjoyed
seeing him and hearing him, naturally, but he was very busy adjusting the device on his waist and his earphones. It was as if he could tune us out while he worked out the
bugs in the equipment. He would sing and then ask us, “Can you hear that?” or “Am I loud enough?” He hardly smiled during the sound check. It was quite an eye opener
for me. Here was Enrique the perfectionist, the technician. Here was a guy preparing to do his job. He wasn't thinking of anything except making it perfect. I took a few
photos of him and when I saw the images on a big screen later, actually Linda's computer, I noticed his eyes were mostly looking straight ahead, very serious, as if he was
not really aware of the screaming fans.
After the introduction for live television, he was one hundred percent for us. Here was the Enrique I'm more used to seeing on stage, flirting with the crowd and laughing and
probably having as much fun singing to us as we were having just watching him.
Though I was not close to the catwalk or the front, I did have a little corridor between peoples' heads where I could take pictures when Enrique happened to be standing in
that direction. Let me tell you, Enrique's beauty in bright daylight does things to you that cannot be described. It is possible, but extremely difficult, to take a bad picture of
him. The camera loves him. Sigh.
I'm not much of a rap music fan, but I am forced to admit that Pitbull's contribution to “I Like It” was just fine. I am still an Enrique purist and I think the song would be just as
good without Pitbull, but happily, in my personal opinion, the rap part of “I Like It” worked well, especially the bit where Enrique and Pitbull both say that line in Spanish, Afuera,
a la calle!!!” (“Get out” “To the street!!!”) You could tell that Enrique was having a fabulous time performing with Pitbull. Sometimes he looked almost paternal as Pitbull
ventured down the catwalk and the fans were dancing and waving their arms. After Enrique’s songs and small interview, Linda, Wanda and I made our way to the CBS
Studios for the taping of the Early Show.
THE EARLY SHOW
Again, it was agony waiting in line in the heat and humidity and unlike where we waited for the Today Show, here we were in the hot sunlight. Our place in line happened to
be a few steps from the entrance of FAO Schwartz and when a customer would enter or exit the store and we'd get a blast of air conditioned wind as the door opened or
closed, everybody would just sigh in contentment. Finally, after about three hours of tedious waiting, we were led into the enclosure. Again unlike the Today Show, we were
nowhere near the stage. As luck would have it, Wanda and I happened to find a great spot against a barrier erected to keep the TV cameraman on his platform and apart
from the audience. We were standing at a place by the railing where we looked across empty space to the stage and we didn't have a hundred heads in front of us. That was
great for me to take pictures
The idiots at CBS kept us waiting in line instead of letting us into the actual taping, so we didn't get to watch Enrique's sound check for this show. I had been looking forward
to seeing if he would be the same serious technician for that, as opposed to the energetic performer, but I guess I'll have to wait for some other time.
The performance part was just as exciting as what Enrique did for the Today Show. You can tell very easily that Enrique enjoys what he does when he has a microphone in
his hand. He may be an anal perfectionist during the rehearsal, but he just comes alive in front of a crowd. As with the Today Show performance, he delighted the crowd,
particularly with I Like It. During the interview part, the Early Show people trotted out the naked ski story again. Enrique modestly assured everybody that watching him ski
naked wouldn't be that interesting because he has chicken legs. The fans naturally disagreed.
There was a techno guy standing next to us who was inside the TV cameraman's barrier. He was very friendly, chatting with us and I think being very amused at our
enthusiasm. He said some nice things about Enrique at the end of the show for his interaction with the fans. He said the stars usually hotfoot it out of there after their
performance, not stopping for anything. He was impressed at the way Enrique kept posing for photos with fans and signing autographs. The security guys had to keep
touching him to urge him along! Our technician guy even offered to move the barrier for us to get closer to the fence at the back, along the path Enrique would be taking on
exiting the venue. It was fenced off so he could circle behind the stage and the crowd. I thought that was very nice of him. Wanda was THIS CLOSE to catching his
attention, but the security guys by that time were pretty insistent that Enrique keep moving. Better luck next time, Wandita!
The MAIN COURSE: ENRIQUE AT MORONGO CASINO AND SPA
Seeing Enrique “live” twice in New York after a long wait should have satisfied me, right? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! Not on your life! I was very excited to think I would be
seeing him again in a week and not just for two or three songs either, but for a full concert. I had purchased a ticket for row seven from Ticketmaster and happily I had
enough frequent flyer miles that I could go to Palm Springs. A side note: I discovered it is difficult to fly from Chicago to Palm Springs. I had to get shipped to Phoenix first
both coming and going back home. But that's okay, they could have shipped me to Siberia before getting to Palm Springs and it would have been fine as long as I knew I'd be
in California in plenty of time for the concert.
In any event, when I knew I was going to be able to go to the concert, I emailed my two close friends in California, Tina and Nanette, to ask if they were going to be going. Tina
and her daughter Angel, as well as Nanette, were definitely going to the SOLD-OUT concert. Also Fran, an old friend and Enrique fan I have known almost as long as I've
been a fan myself.
Almost at the last minute, I decided to visit eBay to see if anyone had an extra ticket for sale. I discovered someone was selling a ticket in the first row. I decided to bid on it.
Of course, she was asking more than the face value of the ticket, but we were talking first row here. LOL I put in one bid. I figured if more people bid on it and ran up the
price, well to hell with it! If no one bid or if maybe only one other person bid, then I'd want it. Happily, I was the only bidder and so now I was really, really looking forward to
this show. The only thing better than watching Enrique in concert at all is watching him from the first row.
The eBay seller was a nice girl named Sonia, also an Enrique fan and also attending the concert. We made arrangements to meet at the casino where she would give me
the ticket. There was a little bit of drama the evening of the concert because I didn't receive the ticket from Sonia at six as arranged. Combined with the heat outside and the
worry and wondering whether I could sneak in my Nikon camera, I was a basket case by the time Sonia finally put that precious bit of paper in my hands at 8:55!! The concert
was scheduled to start at nine pm!!! As it happened, Fran had seat fourteen, row two and I had seat fourteen, row one, so we were looking forward to enjoying the concert
more or less together. Tina and Angel were in row four in the section to our left and Nanette was in the section to our right.
THE BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE
Fran and I made our way up the aisle to the first row and began examining the numbers on the back of the chairs to find our seats. We scrutinized the little labels: seat nine,
seat ten, eleven, twelve. Hey, wait a minute!! What happened to thirteen and fourteen? The row ended at twelve. What was going on? Uh oh!!! We talked to a venue guy
who told us that only that morning Enrique's people had installed the catwalk in front of the stage. Apparently, the venue did not know he was going to do that. So two seats
at the end of each row in my section and two seats at the end of each row from the section on the other side of the catwalk had to be removed. I was starting to get very
anxious. Removed to where? That was the question. The venue guy started to lead Fran and me back down the aisle. We were getting further and further away from the
front row. Then he got to row nine. What, row nine??? He turned and led us across the row of empty seats in row nine to the end. He said, “Here is where your seats are
now.” They had set up a row of chairs where normally there would be an empty corridor between the high price ticket seats and the next level price tickets. When the venue
guy was leading us, I was getting angry!! I told him, “You can't do this to us. We were in the front and now we're way back here??? This is unacceptable!!!” I was ready to yell
at somebody. There's no way they were taking me away from the front row and putting me in row nine, but then I noticed exactly where we were now. My seat was actually in
the center aisle and directly in front of the end of the catwalk. Hmmmmm!! Fran and I assured the venue guy the seat change was fine with us. In fact, I think we were better
off with the new location than we would have been with the original seats. When I stood up, my viewpoint was right down the catwalk. It seems to me that Enrique spends
most of his time singing center stage where I had an excellent view or else at the end of the catwalk, where he'd be about three feet away from us. Oh boy!!!
Needless to say, Fran and I enjoyed the concert a whole lot more. Enrique did indeed spend a lot of time either at center stage or at the end of the catwalk. Occasionally he
would run to one side or the other on stage. I know he likes to give fans seated everywhere a chance to see him up close. I had a great spot for taking picture. My only regret
is that the lighting on Enrique wasn't as bright as I would have liked it to be. Sometimes the camera couldn't focus properly. It was way bright enough for the naked eye to
see him, but the camera sometimes fuzzed him out, especially when he was bathed in pink, blue or green light.
With my continuous mode shooting, where I can take a burst of thirty images at a time, I took over two thousand pictures, but a lot of those are fuzzy or duplicates. If Enrique is
moving and singing, the continuous mode is great because I don't miss anything. But if he not moving much, there will be a dozen shots that look exactly alike. Though it is
sometimes tedious to weed out the duplicates once I've downloaded all images to my computer that is a chore I don't mind doing. LOL
Enrique in the glorious golden flesh has a tendency to reduce my brain to mush, so I can't remember all of the songs he sang or the order in which he sang them. Fran
asked me before he began what I thought would be the opening number and I replied I thought it would I Like It, but it turned out to be Not In Love. Amusingly, if I'm
remembering correctly, I Like It was the very last song!
The security guy standing in the front of the catwalk sometimes got in my way as I was trying to take pictures, but generally he did a good job of keeping the riff raff away from
my row!! LOL. I can understand, I really, really do get it, that you want to be as close to Enrique as you can get, even if it means deserting your own seat and sneaking up the
aisle. But when I'm the person you're trying to move out of the way, then I am afraid I can get hard nosed about it.
Most of the concert was terrific! Enrique looked and sounded divine. If he had been sick earlier in the week, there was no sign of it now. He was energetic and funny, flirting
with the crowd and having fun with his band. I wondered what happened to Van? There was a stranger at the drums. Then Enrique with his usual high spirits encouraged
the crowd to come closer to the catwalk. Suddenly I found myself in the middle of a pack of hot bodies. I had to reach out and brace myself against the railing of the catwalk
or I might have found myself sitting on the floor. Wow, those fans were pushy. A guy in the row in back of me sloshed his beer down my leg. Thanks pal. A young fan kept up
a continuous stream of screams, reminding me of that old bit by Will Smith describing how he chose Enrique to contribute Bailamos to his Wild, Wild West soundtrack.
Remember that story? Will said he attended an Enrique concert and he had never in his life heard so much screaming. It was nonstop!! There was even an obnoxious
teenager standing on MY chair, leaning over and trying to touch Enrique. Now that's going too far. It's one thing to stand on your own chair. You don't get to stand on my chair,
kiddo. I'm over fifty and this girl was probably eighteen or nineteen and maybe that made the difference, I don't know. I think there's a way to show encouragement and
enthusiasm to Enrique without endangering yourself and other fans and that wasn't it!! Sheesh!! Happily, the security folks eventually got most of the fans back into their own
seats. Every once in a while, there would be another surge of fans when Enrique came to the end of the catwalk. Most of the time I was fine. The security guy was standing
in a place where I could use him to block others. LOL. During one sweep of fans' hands, Enrique did grab onto my hand and squeezed it hello. He happened to look at me
and at the shirt I was wearing. I had reproduced one of my favorite photos of him that I had taken from the For The Fans Tour. I know it was displayed for a few months on his
past official website. Enrique seemed to recognize it. He said, “Oh!” and smiled at me. I think he enjoyed seeing his face on my T-shirt.
The part of the show where Enrique pulled up a fan for a sit down and chitchat was very amusing. He picked this particular fan because, he later admitted, he was one guy
out of ninety female fans. Enrique asked him who he was with and he said, “A friend that I work with. He is straight and I am not!!!” The friend was also invited up on stage.
Enrique gave them several shots of Vodka and asked them which of his songs they wanted him to sing. The friend was Latino and claimed to be a fan, but he could not think
of any song. Enrique said, “You claim to be a fan and you can’t think of one single song of mine?” It was really funny, but I can’t remember what song he sang.
The song list was a wonderful mix of old and new songs in both English and Spanish. When Enrique sang Cuando Me Enamoro, the big screens in the background
showed a tape of Juan Luis Guerra singing his part. It was blended beautifully with Enrique's live vocals.
The entire concert was great entertainment for both eyes and ears and so worth all the expense, effort and suffering on my part. LOL. I only hope Enrique decides to do a full-
length tour later this year. The performances I have seen in the last two weeks only whetted my appetite for a full course meal that only he can deliver!!!
July, 2010
By Lynn
The Appetizer
There were plenty of hardships for me to endure in order to see Enrique perform live June 14th at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City for the Today Show and at CBS Studios
for the Early Show, both financially and physically, but the performances Enrique delivered was worth it all. Though we learned later from his tweet message that he had
been sick, in his words, “very sick”, you couldn't tell it if you were in the audience.
THE TODAY SHOW
It wasn't until I watched him and listened to him on the tape I'd made that I realized he was not his usual self. Still bouncy and happy and entertaining, but when you could
see him close-up on the tape, you saw a little of the strain he was under. Believe me, when you were standing there looking up at him on stage, it wasn't apparent. It must
have been torture for him in that hot weather on stage under all the TV lights.
The heat and humidity almost did me in. In fact, I had to leave the crowd for about ten minutes or so because I was feeling a little faint. I have felt hot and uncomfortable often
in Chicago's nasty summers, but this was a first for me. Happily, after I was able to sit down for a bit in the air-conditioned building and sip the cold water the security guy
kindly gave me, I felt refreshed and ready to rejoin the crowd. I was worried Enrique would have appeared while I was still recuperating, but I was able to get back into my
original place before he showed up.
One thing I found fascinating was his demeanor during the songs he sang in the sound check for the Today Show. When he came out on the small stage, of course, the fans
went crazy. It wasn't as though he didn't know we were there, but he was concentrating single-mindedly on the technical aspect of how he was going to sound. I enjoyed
seeing him and hearing him, naturally, but he was very busy adjusting the device on his waist and his earphones. It was as if he could tune us out while he worked out the
bugs in the equipment. He would sing and then ask us, “Can you hear that?” or “Am I loud enough?” He hardly smiled during the sound check. It was quite an eye opener
for me. Here was Enrique the perfectionist, the technician. Here was a guy preparing to do his job. He wasn't thinking of anything except making it perfect. I took a few
photos of him and when I saw the images on a big screen later, actually Linda's computer, I noticed his eyes were mostly looking straight ahead, very serious, as if he was
not really aware of the screaming fans.
After the introduction for live television, he was one hundred percent for us. Here was the Enrique I'm more used to seeing on stage, flirting with the crowd and laughing and
probably having as much fun singing to us as we were having just watching him.
Though I was not close to the catwalk or the front, I did have a little corridor between peoples' heads where I could take pictures when Enrique happened to be standing in
that direction. Let me tell you, Enrique's beauty in bright daylight does things to you that cannot be described. It is possible, but extremely difficult, to take a bad picture of
him. The camera loves him. Sigh.
I'm not much of a rap music fan, but I am forced to admit that Pitbull's contribution to “I Like It” was just fine. I am still an Enrique purist and I think the song would be just as
good without Pitbull, but happily, in my personal opinion, the rap part of “I Like It” worked well, especially the bit where Enrique and Pitbull both say that line in Spanish, Afuera,
a la calle!!!” (“Get out” “To the street!!!”) You could tell that Enrique was having a fabulous time performing with Pitbull. Sometimes he looked almost paternal as Pitbull
ventured down the catwalk and the fans were dancing and waving their arms. After Enrique’s songs and small interview, Linda, Wanda and I made our way to the CBS
Studios for the taping of the Early Show.
THE EARLY SHOW
Again, it was agony waiting in line in the heat and humidity and unlike where we waited for the Today Show, here we were in the hot sunlight. Our place in line happened to
be a few steps from the entrance of FAO Schwartz and when a customer would enter or exit the store and we'd get a blast of air conditioned wind as the door opened or
closed, everybody would just sigh in contentment. Finally, after about three hours of tedious waiting, we were led into the enclosure. Again unlike the Today Show, we were
nowhere near the stage. As luck would have it, Wanda and I happened to find a great spot against a barrier erected to keep the TV cameraman on his platform and apart
from the audience. We were standing at a place by the railing where we looked across empty space to the stage and we didn't have a hundred heads in front of us. That was
great for me to take pictures
The idiots at CBS kept us waiting in line instead of letting us into the actual taping, so we didn't get to watch Enrique's sound check for this show. I had been looking forward
to seeing if he would be the same serious technician for that, as opposed to the energetic performer, but I guess I'll have to wait for some other time.
The performance part was just as exciting as what Enrique did for the Today Show. You can tell very easily that Enrique enjoys what he does when he has a microphone in
his hand. He may be an anal perfectionist during the rehearsal, but he just comes alive in front of a crowd. As with the Today Show performance, he delighted the crowd,
particularly with I Like It. During the interview part, the Early Show people trotted out the naked ski story again. Enrique modestly assured everybody that watching him ski
naked wouldn't be that interesting because he has chicken legs. The fans naturally disagreed.
There was a techno guy standing next to us who was inside the TV cameraman's barrier. He was very friendly, chatting with us and I think being very amused at our
enthusiasm. He said some nice things about Enrique at the end of the show for his interaction with the fans. He said the stars usually hotfoot it out of there after their
performance, not stopping for anything. He was impressed at the way Enrique kept posing for photos with fans and signing autographs. The security guys had to keep
touching him to urge him along! Our technician guy even offered to move the barrier for us to get closer to the fence at the back, along the path Enrique would be taking on
exiting the venue. It was fenced off so he could circle behind the stage and the crowd. I thought that was very nice of him. Wanda was THIS CLOSE to catching his
attention, but the security guys by that time were pretty insistent that Enrique keep moving. Better luck next time, Wandita!
The MAIN COURSE: ENRIQUE AT MORONGO CASINO AND SPA
Seeing Enrique “live” twice in New York after a long wait should have satisfied me, right? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! Not on your life! I was very excited to think I would be
seeing him again in a week and not just for two or three songs either, but for a full concert. I had purchased a ticket for row seven from Ticketmaster and happily I had
enough frequent flyer miles that I could go to Palm Springs. A side note: I discovered it is difficult to fly from Chicago to Palm Springs. I had to get shipped to Phoenix first
both coming and going back home. But that's okay, they could have shipped me to Siberia before getting to Palm Springs and it would have been fine as long as I knew I'd be
in California in plenty of time for the concert.
In any event, when I knew I was going to be able to go to the concert, I emailed my two close friends in California, Tina and Nanette, to ask if they were going to be going. Tina
and her daughter Angel, as well as Nanette, were definitely going to the SOLD-OUT concert. Also Fran, an old friend and Enrique fan I have known almost as long as I've
been a fan myself.
Almost at the last minute, I decided to visit eBay to see if anyone had an extra ticket for sale. I discovered someone was selling a ticket in the first row. I decided to bid on it.
Of course, she was asking more than the face value of the ticket, but we were talking first row here. LOL I put in one bid. I figured if more people bid on it and ran up the
price, well to hell with it! If no one bid or if maybe only one other person bid, then I'd want it. Happily, I was the only bidder and so now I was really, really looking forward to
this show. The only thing better than watching Enrique in concert at all is watching him from the first row.
The eBay seller was a nice girl named Sonia, also an Enrique fan and also attending the concert. We made arrangements to meet at the casino where she would give me
the ticket. There was a little bit of drama the evening of the concert because I didn't receive the ticket from Sonia at six as arranged. Combined with the heat outside and the
worry and wondering whether I could sneak in my Nikon camera, I was a basket case by the time Sonia finally put that precious bit of paper in my hands at 8:55!! The concert
was scheduled to start at nine pm!!! As it happened, Fran had seat fourteen, row two and I had seat fourteen, row one, so we were looking forward to enjoying the concert
more or less together. Tina and Angel were in row four in the section to our left and Nanette was in the section to our right.
THE BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE
Fran and I made our way up the aisle to the first row and began examining the numbers on the back of the chairs to find our seats. We scrutinized the little labels: seat nine,
seat ten, eleven, twelve. Hey, wait a minute!! What happened to thirteen and fourteen? The row ended at twelve. What was going on? Uh oh!!! We talked to a venue guy
who told us that only that morning Enrique's people had installed the catwalk in front of the stage. Apparently, the venue did not know he was going to do that. So two seats
at the end of each row in my section and two seats at the end of each row from the section on the other side of the catwalk had to be removed. I was starting to get very
anxious. Removed to where? That was the question. The venue guy started to lead Fran and me back down the aisle. We were getting further and further away from the
front row. Then he got to row nine. What, row nine??? He turned and led us across the row of empty seats in row nine to the end. He said, “Here is where your seats are
now.” They had set up a row of chairs where normally there would be an empty corridor between the high price ticket seats and the next level price tickets. When the venue
guy was leading us, I was getting angry!! I told him, “You can't do this to us. We were in the front and now we're way back here??? This is unacceptable!!!” I was ready to yell
at somebody. There's no way they were taking me away from the front row and putting me in row nine, but then I noticed exactly where we were now. My seat was actually in
the center aisle and directly in front of the end of the catwalk. Hmmmmm!! Fran and I assured the venue guy the seat change was fine with us. In fact, I think we were better
off with the new location than we would have been with the original seats. When I stood up, my viewpoint was right down the catwalk. It seems to me that Enrique spends
most of his time singing center stage where I had an excellent view or else at the end of the catwalk, where he'd be about three feet away from us. Oh boy!!!
Needless to say, Fran and I enjoyed the concert a whole lot more. Enrique did indeed spend a lot of time either at center stage or at the end of the catwalk. Occasionally he
would run to one side or the other on stage. I know he likes to give fans seated everywhere a chance to see him up close. I had a great spot for taking picture. My only regret
is that the lighting on Enrique wasn't as bright as I would have liked it to be. Sometimes the camera couldn't focus properly. It was way bright enough for the naked eye to
see him, but the camera sometimes fuzzed him out, especially when he was bathed in pink, blue or green light.
With my continuous mode shooting, where I can take a burst of thirty images at a time, I took over two thousand pictures, but a lot of those are fuzzy or duplicates. If Enrique is
moving and singing, the continuous mode is great because I don't miss anything. But if he not moving much, there will be a dozen shots that look exactly alike. Though it is
sometimes tedious to weed out the duplicates once I've downloaded all images to my computer that is a chore I don't mind doing. LOL
Enrique in the glorious golden flesh has a tendency to reduce my brain to mush, so I can't remember all of the songs he sang or the order in which he sang them. Fran
asked me before he began what I thought would be the opening number and I replied I thought it would I Like It, but it turned out to be Not In Love. Amusingly, if I'm
remembering correctly, I Like It was the very last song!
The security guy standing in the front of the catwalk sometimes got in my way as I was trying to take pictures, but generally he did a good job of keeping the riff raff away from
my row!! LOL. I can understand, I really, really do get it, that you want to be as close to Enrique as you can get, even if it means deserting your own seat and sneaking up the
aisle. But when I'm the person you're trying to move out of the way, then I am afraid I can get hard nosed about it.
Most of the concert was terrific! Enrique looked and sounded divine. If he had been sick earlier in the week, there was no sign of it now. He was energetic and funny, flirting
with the crowd and having fun with his band. I wondered what happened to Van? There was a stranger at the drums. Then Enrique with his usual high spirits encouraged
the crowd to come closer to the catwalk. Suddenly I found myself in the middle of a pack of hot bodies. I had to reach out and brace myself against the railing of the catwalk
or I might have found myself sitting on the floor. Wow, those fans were pushy. A guy in the row in back of me sloshed his beer down my leg. Thanks pal. A young fan kept up
a continuous stream of screams, reminding me of that old bit by Will Smith describing how he chose Enrique to contribute Bailamos to his Wild, Wild West soundtrack.
Remember that story? Will said he attended an Enrique concert and he had never in his life heard so much screaming. It was nonstop!! There was even an obnoxious
teenager standing on MY chair, leaning over and trying to touch Enrique. Now that's going too far. It's one thing to stand on your own chair. You don't get to stand on my chair,
kiddo. I'm over fifty and this girl was probably eighteen or nineteen and maybe that made the difference, I don't know. I think there's a way to show encouragement and
enthusiasm to Enrique without endangering yourself and other fans and that wasn't it!! Sheesh!! Happily, the security folks eventually got most of the fans back into their own
seats. Every once in a while, there would be another surge of fans when Enrique came to the end of the catwalk. Most of the time I was fine. The security guy was standing
in a place where I could use him to block others. LOL. During one sweep of fans' hands, Enrique did grab onto my hand and squeezed it hello. He happened to look at me
and at the shirt I was wearing. I had reproduced one of my favorite photos of him that I had taken from the For The Fans Tour. I know it was displayed for a few months on his
past official website. Enrique seemed to recognize it. He said, “Oh!” and smiled at me. I think he enjoyed seeing his face on my T-shirt.
The part of the show where Enrique pulled up a fan for a sit down and chitchat was very amusing. He picked this particular fan because, he later admitted, he was one guy
out of ninety female fans. Enrique asked him who he was with and he said, “A friend that I work with. He is straight and I am not!!!” The friend was also invited up on stage.
Enrique gave them several shots of Vodka and asked them which of his songs they wanted him to sing. The friend was Latino and claimed to be a fan, but he could not think
of any song. Enrique said, “You claim to be a fan and you can’t think of one single song of mine?” It was really funny, but I can’t remember what song he sang.
The song list was a wonderful mix of old and new songs in both English and Spanish. When Enrique sang Cuando Me Enamoro, the big screens in the background
showed a tape of Juan Luis Guerra singing his part. It was blended beautifully with Enrique's live vocals.
The entire concert was great entertainment for both eyes and ears and so worth all the expense, effort and suffering on my part. LOL. I only hope Enrique decides to do a full-
length tour later this year. The performances I have seen in the last two weeks only whetted my appetite for a full course meal that only he can deliver!!!
MY THOUGHTS ON THE MORONGO CONCERT
By Nanette
I was telling my husband about the July 23, 2010, concert and the meeting with old friends, Lynn, Fran, Tina and Angel and a couple of things
really struck me. The first is that Enrique is amazing. Well, we know that, but also throughout the entire show whenever he would look into the
audience he recognized fans. Maybe he didn't know their names, but it was apparent that he was acknowledging people who were familiar to him,
not just doing the nod at the happy people thing. He was sincere and he knew who these people were.
The other thing that struck me was the loyalty of the fans. I mean, I don't go to nearly as many concert performances as many of you, but still, I
recognized people whom I have seen at every single Enrique event I've attended on the West Coast over the last 15 years. We are a die hard,
hardcore group of people!
And when you get right down to it, some of us were truly Internet/social network pioneers! We were using the Internet to find each other YEARS
before someone invented MySpace or Facebook. So, would it be too much of a stretch to say that Enrique personally played a role in the
development of the Internet as an international friendship tool? Hmmmmm.
And as much as the acoustics in that place stunk, it was still a wonderful night. He's just so darn funny and he has a contagious presence. You
can't help but have a terrific time when he's on stage. And of course, the anticipation is nothing to sneeze at either. Nor is the ecstasy after the
fact. It's a good way to spend one's time!!!
By Nanette
I was telling my husband about the July 23, 2010, concert and the meeting with old friends, Lynn, Fran, Tina and Angel and a couple of things
really struck me. The first is that Enrique is amazing. Well, we know that, but also throughout the entire show whenever he would look into the
audience he recognized fans. Maybe he didn't know their names, but it was apparent that he was acknowledging people who were familiar to him,
not just doing the nod at the happy people thing. He was sincere and he knew who these people were.
The other thing that struck me was the loyalty of the fans. I mean, I don't go to nearly as many concert performances as many of you, but still, I
recognized people whom I have seen at every single Enrique event I've attended on the West Coast over the last 15 years. We are a die hard,
hardcore group of people!
And when you get right down to it, some of us were truly Internet/social network pioneers! We were using the Internet to find each other YEARS
before someone invented MySpace or Facebook. So, would it be too much of a stretch to say that Enrique personally played a role in the
development of the Internet as an international friendship tool? Hmmmmm.
And as much as the acoustics in that place stunk, it was still a wonderful night. He's just so darn funny and he has a contagious presence. You
can't help but have a terrific time when he's on stage. And of course, the anticipation is nothing to sneeze at either. Nor is the ecstasy after the
fact. It's a good way to spend one's time!!!
| This month our very own Sandy celebrates a birthday on August 1st Happy Birthday from your friends at the USAEIfanclub |
