Pitbull @ Blossom (8/29/24)
Along with being a concert photographer I also shoot wedding, so to say I've heard the song "Fireball" many times is an understatement. Going into the Pitbull show Thursday evening I was expecting a similar type of celebratory party vibe that I often get at receptions. Happy, loose, and ready to get down. But even with that expectation in place, I was still blown away at how fun and joyous this party I was invited to would be. The evening started out with T-Pain, a 39 year old rapper, producer, and more recently Twitch Streamer. I can remember being in middle and high school when T-Pain released his monumental hits "I'm N Luv" and "Buy U A Drank", and how often I would hear them at dances and football games. You couldn't go anywhere at the time without hearing a T-Pain song, and I was reminded Thursday just how many hits he has. He played a large portion of these songs, sometimes for just a minute each, but just enough to give the audience time to dance along. During his set he had a running bit with his DJ that they needed to "class it up" in preparation for Pitbull taking the stage. Following these bits there would be slower music to play, which quickly transitioned into one of T-Pains hits. The only people on stage during T-Pain's set were him and the DJ, but the stage didn't feel emply. T-Pain made a point to attend to both sides of the audience, and move around the stage, which was backlit with huge screens that showed corresponding video. The crowd was super into it, and even those walking around to buy a beer, or run to the bathroom were dancing as they made their journey!
When 9pm rolled around it was time for Pitbull to take the stage. His full band played him in, and Mr. Worldwide appeared on stage to a screaming audience of over 20,000 at Blossom Music Center. On stage Pitbull was joined by backup dancers that wore corresponding outfits, and stayed perfectly in step with every move Pitbull made. Pitbull started the show in a black leather jacket and suit pants, but he changed a few times throughout the show into his iconic suits. Each time there was a break in the show for Pitbull and his dancers to change their outfits, the party didn't stop, the band and DJ kept the energy up so it didn't even feel like there was a break in the action. On the last change of the evening, the band started playing Nirvana's "Smells like Teen Spirit" which transitioned into “Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor).” where T-Pain surprised the audience by joining Pitbull on stage. That was one of my favorite parts of an evening with nonstop excitement. Another one of my favorite parts of attending a Pitbull show, is how many people dress up for the occasion. Sure, lots of people are dressed nice in normal concert attire, but many people also dressed like Pitbull himself, wearing suits with a bald cap and sunglasses. Walking through the crowd to my seat, it felt like every few people I passed was dressed like Pitbull. That's such a unique experience, it added to the visual appeal of the show, seeing which Pitbull impersonator looked the most faithful in their rendition. For the two hours Pitbull took the stage, we were treated to hits from throughout his career of 12 studio albums, and 20 years. Even If you're just a casual fan of Pitbull, I don't think you'd leave Pitbull's Party After Dark Tour disappointed! There are plenty of dates left to catch a show, you can find ticket information at pitbullmusic.com/tour.
Photos by Shelly Duncan
T-Pain
Pitbull
