Houston - Ricky Reaches Beyond La Vida Loca

Great review from the Houston Chronicle of the January 18 concert

La vida loca has slowed down considerably for bilingual pop star Ricky Martin, but he still worked the stage like an arena-size superstar Wednesday night at Verizon Wireless Theater.

The 34-year-old entertainer sold out the 15,000-seat Compaq Center (now Lakewood Church) in a snap during his 1999 world tour. It was a bit of a shock, then, to see the modest crowd assembled for the third night of his U.S. tour, One Night Only.

Martin told the crowd he chose smaller venues for a more intimate feel and a closer connection with the people, but sluggish record sales and stalled singles say otherwise.

Whatever the reason, Martin - and the enthusiastic crowd - seemed unconcerned. For two hours, the Puerto Rican heartthrob danced, kicked, flirted and sang with impressive abandon.

Martin was center stage for kick-off track Til I Get To You, surrounded by a tight, 10-piece band and a flood of flashing lights. He was dressed in jeans, a blazer and a scarf, topped off by razor stubble and one of those sexy/messy haircuts - a decidedly edgier look to complement the urban flavor of new disc Life.

I Don't Care, the album's sexy first single, was buoyed by an onslaught of jerky backbeats. Martin's eager back-up singer tried, but couldn't match the soulful sweetness of singer Amerie, who slinks through the recorded version.

Still, the several songs featured from Life - This is Good, It's Alright and the reggaeton party-started Drop It On Me - were nice illustrators of Martin's more mature, more organic sound. The former Menudo star is clearly striving for real artistic growth.

Even past hits were reworked, with mostly impressive results. There's no denying - or escaping - the cha-cha pop appeal of Livin' La Vida Loca, but the song was transformed into a pulpy, throbbing highlight, accented by flickering red lights, grinding guitars and a driving drum beat. It gave the song an appealing, ominous vibe.

She Bangs was buoyed by a flamenco guitar arrangement, but it's still hard to get past the silly lyrics ("She looks like a flower/But she stings like a bee") - and American Idol reject William Hung's jaw-dropping rendition. Maria was a flurry of horns and percussion, and Private Emotion was a pleasant pop surprise.

The showstopper, however, was Martin's elaborate stage, an intricate web of small lights, rectangular video screens and digital images that gave the area a definite sense of dimension. It was like being inside a disco ball. (Take that, Madonna.)

The entire stage, including the overhead, was covered in rows of LED lights that also showcased huge images of anime characters, dancers and geishas. It was the most impressive concert display in recent memory.

Martin danced around the stage with ease during hits La Bomba, Por Arriba, Por Abajo and the celebratory The Cup of Life. He also showed off some of his training in the Brazilian martial arts form Capuera. The suave singer still has plenty of the alternately boyish and sexy charm that made him a superstar, but he's also more relaxed and looser onstage.

That balance of energy worked wonderfully during an acoustic medley that included Spanish-language hits Perdido Sin To, El Amor de Mi Vida and Te Extrano, Te Olvido, Te Amo. Vuelve, the title track from Martin's stellar 1998 album, was also a lilting, lovely moment.

So maybe Martin is no longer topping the charts or making Madonna swoon. The man that stood center stage for two hours in downtown Houston doesn't seem concerned with pop-culture coolness. Martin still has a few more ceilings to shatter in his search for artistic freedom, but the fact that he's taking the journey at all is to be commended. And it's mighty fun to watch, too.