Concert Review: Don Omar’s Electrifying Performance at Boston's Agganis Arena

The night was brisk, not too hot, not too cold, perfect weather for Boston, considering. It’s 6:30pm ET I just wrapped up a Perreo 101 Lecture for NYU Tisch where I spoke to students on why Don Omar is definitely on my “Mount Rushmore of Reggaeton” curation, and that I was on my way his concert in a few hours. I linked with my girlfriends and the hype built up knowing that we were going to Perrear hasta el piso to Don Omar’s performance, we couldn’t wait. It’s September 12th, and the legendary Don Omar delivered an electrifying performance at Boston's Agganis Arena that left the audience wired with excitement. He had an opener, industry underground legend Alcover who presented some of his best hits to date like ‘No Te Dejare Care’, ‘Amante o Amiga’ and ‘Bonita’ released just last year. He warmed up the crowd just enough before DJ Robin elevated the vibes with classic songs, Oye mi amor by Maná, Titi me pregunto by Bad Bunny, Lloraras by Oscar de Leon, Provencia by Karol G and Me tengo que ir by Oscar De Leon. All of a sudden the lights go out, the crowd screams, and we knew that the king was ready. It’s 9:10pm, his backup singers get on the left side of the stage, dancers get in position, and a count down 6-5-4-3-2-1, El Don was on the stage and we couldn’t help but scream. The stage had two tiers, the first tier with a catwalk that allowed the Reggaeton superstar and his dancers to get out and closer to the fans, its where Don Omar stayed the most, truly absorbing the energy of the audience–it was breathtaking. Don Omar kicked off the night with his iconic hit "Dale Don," immediately setting the tone for an unforgettable evening. The energy in the arena was palpable as he moved onto singing “Recuerdense” an oldie but goodie, but it was his performance of “Ronca,” song number 3 of his setlist, a throwback track cherished by his most dedicated fans, that truly got me out of my seat and dancing.

The Reggaeton Legend went onto sing “Yo Puedo Con Todos”, “Sacala” and “Donqueo” respectively transporting his fans to the 2000s when Perreo was raw, real, and proving itself at all costs, a time where Don Omar was actively and most importantly musically, proving himself to be the icon we know and love him for today. It was an honor to watching him take in the love from the audience, to bow between song performances, to be adored by his dancers, in real time–Especially considering his recent health scare with cancer that has since been surgically removed.

Nos fuimos hasta el piso–we danced unto the floor, with the dancehall rendition he performed of Dale don with an abrupt sharing of personal anecdotes and reflections. He notably spoke about his Puerto Rican heritage, proclaiming, "Yo soy de PR, creado en Carolina, PR," (I am from Puerto Rico, made in Carolina, Puerto Rico) which was met with thunderous applause and 5-foot Puerto Rican flags waiving throughout the arena. At 9:28pm, he delved into a heartfelt story about his early days in music, recalling how Hector y Tito discovered him while he was singing in a car in Carolina. He expressed deep gratitude to them, saying, “Gracias a ellos soy Don Omar,” (Thanks to them I am Don Omar).

“When I first began my career, I was a backup singer to a duo who was on the rise” Don said, and I couldn’t put my finger on who he could’ve been speaking about and it made me lean in all the more. “Their names are Hector Y Tito” the screams from all sides of the auditorium was profound, there was a collective emotion of awe towards what Don was expressing–and promptly after he performed his Regueton classic, “Baila Morena” by Hector Y Tito” and “Yo Moria por Ti” you can feel the women melting in the crowd and as a Morena myself( A Black woman), it was endearing to feel so connected to a performance with a song i’ve cherished and have been singing most of my life.

The dancers beautifully complimented Don Omar’s bass-heavy perreo, choreography by Leo Chavez gets a solid 9.5/10 for its capture of the energy, evolution, sex appeal, and balance between the genders. A total of 12 dancers on the stage at maximum, 6 men and 6 women all who pulled each audience member in with their collective and individual charisma–I’ve been to many concerts, I find the performance of this particular bunch very refreshing. Three outfit changes, all beautifully staying within the realm of an evolving Don–the synchronization of it all was seamless.

As expected, the concert featured an impressive set list that kept the audience engaged from start to finish. After the extended version of "Dale Don," Don Omar performed hits like "Recuérdense," "Yo Puedo con Todos," and "Sácala." A highlight of the night was definitely in his performance of Reggaeton Latino. Don, unlike many Reggaetoneros, notably, called out the flags he saw in the crowd it was heartwarming. There is no doubt that Reggaeton culture is highly Caribbean, but the reality is Latinos of all backgrounds are enjoying this music, this culture, this movement and Don Omar’s Reggaeton Latino performance amplified this sentiment in one of the most authentic ways I have yet to have it displayed. Latinidad has its flaws, no culture is perfect, and the best way to honor that is by being honest, so I appreciate Don Omar saying “El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Republic Dominicana, Puerto Rico, al final todos somos Latinos” (In the end, we’re all Latino) something that I often note that Reggaeton artists drop the ball on during their concerts, in my opinion if you say a few countries in a region you really should say them all–as Don Omar beautifully showed the world it doesn't take long but it does take effort.

“Nadie como tu” , “Myspace”, “La pared”, “Gata gangster”, “Desafio” Don Omar was not afraid to center his timeless hits in this set list and it was the perfect Perreo 101 for OG fans and new fans alike. I particularly appreciated his “PERREO GALACTICO” performance, featuring songs from his iDon album, “Virtual Diva” and “Sexy Robotica.” This album, dropped on April 28, 2009 when the industry was trying to gauge the longevity of Reggaeton, its when ugly rumors such as “Reggaeton is dying” first came around and innovators, tastemakers like Don Omar, Wisin Y Yandel, Arcangel, Randy Nota Loca produced futuristic Reggaeton, Reggaeton that sounded like it was “out of this world” with its instrumentations of House, Techno, EDM, sounds that stand the test of time, or Intergalactic Perreo which proved to all naysayers not only is Reggaeton fluid but it is here to stay. It was an honor to watch the timeless performances of these songs which so beautifully echo these themes to the point it sounds like it could have been made today.

Don continued to captivate the crowd with songs like "Entre Tú y Yo," "Me Estás Calentando," and a crowd favorite, "Hasta Que Salga el Sol." Later, the audience performed Romeo Santos’ lyrics of "Ella y Yo” while Don Omar sang his own, all while sporting a Dominican flag wrapped around his microphone, further celebrating the rich cultural tapestry of Dominican Republic and giving the “Isla Hermana” (Puerto Rico’s Island Sister, Dominican Republic) its well deserved flowers for its contributions to Regueton and Don Omar’s experience with Regueton specifically. Its 10:21pm he shakes up the vibe with his all-time classic ‘Dile’ followed by ‘Pobre Diabla’ with the crowd singing so loud he simply put the mic down so all concert goers can sing the song. DJ Robin did an excellent job matching the volumes to keep the vibe of the call and response with the crowd going forward. “Mayor Que Yo” Swiftly came after energizing the crowd after such a strong heartbreak song with its Merengueton.

Despite a minor hiccup with "Taboo," where the dancers' salsa choreography seemed to confuse the audience, the overall performance was a testament to Don Omar's enduring appeal and ability to connect with his fans. The concert was a celebration of reggaeton's past, present, and future, and Don Omar proved once again why he remains a titan of the genre.The night concluded with high-energy renditions of "Danza Kuduro" and "Bandolero," leaving the crowd in awe of his stamina and showmanship, and an ode to Boston itself. When the nightclubs are closing in the city at 1:50am, very often latin DJs will close the night with Bandolero, a song that lyrically celebrates perserverance an attitude that Bostonians have adopted with Don at the center. Don Omar has a career that spans decades, an influence that stands the test of time, a sound that is unparalleled and his Boston stop of “Back To Reggaeton” is one of the best displays of all that the 46 year old pioneer has to offer the world. William, respectfully, lo mataste! (you killed it!).