A few weeks into kicking off his “Saturno World Tour,” Puerto Rican and Latin trap artist Rauw Alejandro made a show-stopping entrance to an audience of more than 15,000 people by literally zip-lining his way onto the stage — while he was fully decked out in an alien-like ensemble. On Friday, Mar. 31, the reggaetonero put on a truly extraterrestrial performance — one of two back-to-back sold-out shows at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in his hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico, where POPSUGAR was in attendance.
If these flashy performances were any indication, 2023 is panning out to become quite significant for Rauw Alejandro. Born Raúl Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz, the artist has been on top of his game these days. Last year, he claimed his fourth straight top 10 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart with his 2022 album “Saturno,” which debuted at No. 2 on Nov. 26.
In this latest performance, Alejandro put on a show comparable to Bad Bunny’s highly-praised Yankee Stadium concerts from his “World’s Hottest Tour” last year. The three-hour concert, which Duars Live produced, featured impressive, free-style dance moves, which at times appeared almost supernatural and aligned with the tour’s intergalactic theme. Dancing is one of the things that largely sets Alejandro apart from other reggaeton artists.
“What Raúl does — sing and dance in a show from the beginning to end — no other Latin artist does that,” Rosalía said in the Couple‘s recent Billboard cover story.
The show even included a performance from the famous Jabbawockeez — whom Rauw has been touring with — which really took the performance up a notch with their b-boy moves and dance formations.
Alejandro’s Friday night show also featured an impressive list of special guests, including Chris Palace, who joined him for “GATAS,” a collaboration off the “Saturno” album. Other guest performers included Omar Courtz; Yovngchimi; Álvaro Díaz, who performed “Problemón” alongside him; Lyanno and Brray, who excited the crowd with “Lokera”; and reggaeton pioneers Baby Rasta with “PUNTO 40,” Chencho Corleone with “Desesperados,” and Arcángel with “Cazadores.”
But the biggest crowd pleaser of the night was when Spanish singer Rosalía suddenly and surprisingly took the stage to perform “Beso” and “Vampiros” — two singles from the couple’s newly-released “RR.” It’s a three-track EP dedicated to their public and passionate love, which they released along with a music video that announced their engagement.
Alejandro wasn’t afraid to announce his love for Rosalía to all his fans. “This is a special night because I’m going to sing with the love of my life for the first time onstage,” he said in Spanish to a screaming crowd.
The two engaged in some major PDA while performing the singles together while the music video of “Besos” played on a large screen behind them. The audience got especially riled up once the two started twerking and exchanging kisses.
Everything about the show was next level, from the guest artists to the acrobatic choreography to the space odyssey-like stage production — which at one point included Alejandro being beamed up by a spaceship for his performance of “Lejos Del Cielo.”
Alejandro is no overnight success. He was No. 3 on Billboard’s 2022 year-end Top Latin Artist Chart and has placed five top 10s on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart including 2021’s No. 1 “Vice Versa.” What sets him apart as an artist is precisely what makes him such an incredible performer — his ability to navigate a unique sound that’s almost difficult to categorize under one genre, despite being known as a reggaeton and Latin trap artist. He is constantly pushing urbano music’s boundaries, and his gifted dance skills allow him to put on a show like no other artist has within the genre. That’s backed up by his back-to-back sold-out shows since the “Saturno World Tour” kicked off; he’s been putting on performances worthy of a few Tour of the Year nominations.
Get ready to see Latin music’s next global artist take off — just like a spaceship.
Image Source: Marco Perretta