Ricardo arjona madison square garden

Ricardo Arjona performs at Coliseo Jose M. Agrelot on Aug. 15, 2017 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.   Gladys Vega/Getty Images

Ricardo Arjona, the Guatemalan singer/songwriter known for his upbeat pop hits like “El Problema” and his beautiful, thought-provoking lyrics, took the Madison Square Garden stage last night (Feb. 22) in New York City, for a show that was consistently entertaining, energetic, and fun. 

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The Circo Soledad Tour 2018 — which translates to Lonely Circus — was, as you can imagine, circus-themed. The show involved a clown that resembled Pinocchio with his long pointy nose, unicycles, a trapeze artist, lots of colorful balloons, and a spectacular stage accompanied by interchanging videos playing in the background, setting the mood for the song playing at the moment. 

The concert kicked off with Arjona’s tour-naming single, “Circo Soledad, with fans screaming in anticipation as the music started and they waited for the man of the hour to appear. The white sheet shielding the set finally came down, but while Arjona’s band of about eight were present, the singer’s own whereabouts remained a mystery, until his “Ella” began to play. Arjona then popped out of a red box on left stage, almost like a Jack-in-the-Box, with a mic stand and his black electric guitar, rocking almost all black from head to toe, as well as a man bun. His entrance set the tone for the night: spontaneous.

He played a variety of songs throughout the show — nearly 30 in all. There was a little bit of everything for everyone in the audience. His performance of one of his oldest hits, “El Problema,” had everyone on their feet, despite this version running about eight minutes long. Songs like “Te Conozco” had women swooning, as the lyrics appeared on stage for them to follow along — though it was unlikely many needed them.

Some of the performances really hit the crowd in their feelings. Prior to performing “Hasta Que La Muerte Los Separe,” Arjona told a story of a young girl who repeatedly believed she had found The One. This song resonated with the crowd, as they screamed in agreement with his message about the triumphs of failed relationships. However, it was his performance of “Si El Norte Fuera Sur” that really had the crowd going wild. The song, originally released in 1996, still hits with relevance today, as it pinpoints issues of how society compares and judges people based on where they’re from. The set contained a video of American pop culture-related things and celebrities, such as Kim Kardashian, the Chevrolet logo, money signs and Donald Trump; the crowd roared.

A very prominent part of the show was Arjona’s seemingly ceaseless interacting with fans. He made sure to shout out New York, as well as several Latin American countries, making sure no one was left out. He even brought two fans on stage — one for the song “Señora de las 4 Decadas,” and a very young fan, whose poster (reading “Yo Soy La Ballerina Vecina,” in reference to his “La Ballerina Vecina”) got his attention. He was very sweet to both and cracked jokes, revealing his personal charm.

As the night came to an end, Arjona took song requests from the crowd and repeatedly tricked them by leaving the stage, making us think it was over, just to come back for more. Then ten minutes to 12:00 a.m., Arjona left the stage for the final time. Before doing so, he took one long look at the packed arena, and in awe and gratitude, offered, “Se les quiere.” The crowd loved him too.

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