On Friday night, 40,000 fans poured into Citi Field, eager to hear Romeo Santos’ silky falsetto. The sold-out stadium was calm as fans grabbed drinks and made their way to their seats until DJ Mad lit the stage up at about 9 p.m. He opened the night with a medley of classic reggaeton and merengue hits — and even pleasantly surprised the crowd with some Central American cumbia, no doubt inspired by the travels that he’s carefully documented on Instagram while touring with Santos. As DJ Mad finished his set, he made a cut signal with his hand, indicating that the moment everyone had waited for was about to begin.
The screens lit up and played a short film in which Santos appeared to be on the phone with his son, who expressed that he missed his dad. Santos then answered that he was working and that he’d be home soon, conveying that his family was a guiding force behind his deeply personal tour. When the film finished, a talented backup singer launched into Rosalía’s opening verse for “El Pañuelo” as Santos gently rose onto the stage, welcomed by pyrotechnics and a screaming crowd. From there, he sang a medley of tracks mixed both from his Formula Vol. 2 and Formula Vol. 3 albums including, “Eres Mia;” “Cancioncitas de Amor,” which he’s sung live with Juan Luis Guerra; and “Odio,” which features Drake.
To everyone’s surprise, Santos brought out guest singer Natti Natasha to join him in a rendition of “La Mejor Versión De Mi.” He also took a moment to welcome up-and-coming Dominican artist El Nephew and hyped him up as he performed “Azarorosa (BachaBow),” his most popular song on Spotify. During a special part of the show, Santos also let fans sing to him; he even had a full-blown conversation with a concertgoer named Danny. He teased the crowd with a typical New York sense of humor: As Santos waded in and out slow jams, he pointed the mic at the crowd and noticed the audience’s energy had dwindled. He paused the song and told New York to “wake the fuck up.” At heart, Santos remains a Bronx boy.
The next section featured highlights from the last 10 years of Santos’ career. He belted out “Bebo,” where he toasted the crowd and told them not to drink and drive. He also performed some of his latest and most popular collaborations such as “Volví,” the Aventura smash featuring Bad Bunny, and “Noche De Sexo,” the absolute classic with Wisin Y Yandel, to name a few. Santos has always kept himself grounded on his roots and places an emphasis on his national pride, his culture, and the music that made him. As a special tribute to those pillars of his sound, he brought out merengue legends, Rubby Pérez, Toño Rosario, Fernando Villalona, and Ramon Orlando to perform their song “15,500 Noches” as well as a few of their legendary hits. For about one hour, Citi Field was transported to the Eighties, and the multi-generational audience all became family, seemingly dancing together en la sala.
Santos closed the show by taking requests from the audience with a twist: He asked them to select songs that they thought he might not even remember. The request proved challenging as the singer bounced in and out of every song that was thrown at him. Santos appeared to end the show by walking offstage after singing “Enseñame Olvidar.” After a few moments, he slowly rose from beneath the stage again, shirtless in a bathtub full of blue rose petals, very on brand for his sensual and romantic persona. A curtain fell and he made a quick wardrobe change: He donned a full red leather suit to close the show with all-time favorites from his discography, such as “Un Beso,” “La Boda,” “Obsesion,” and finally “Propuesta Indecente.”
Few artists have the showmanship, discography, status, and vigor to put on a three-hour show, but this isn’t Santos’ first time pulling off a major live feat. Santos has previously sold out shows at MetLife Stadium and in 2014, he also sold out Yankee Stadium, becoming the first Latin artist to headline there since the Fania All-Stars in 1973. The Bronx native can now add another borough to his belt — and, to the joy of his fans, he announced there’s even more in store: Santos made an exclusive announcement, telling the crowd that he will be returning to Madison Square Garden on October 30th for yet another epic night.