Chilean Elvis

Santiago is big on trends. Right now, sushi is huge, as is Depeche Mode, fanny packs(I'm not kidding), and basically anything 80s. However, a separate but equally pervasive phenomenon is the obsession with Américo. Américo is a 31 year old Chilean cumbia singer, who is taking over the party world. Every bar, club, hotel, house party, restaurant, anywhere really, will eventually play Américo at some point in the night. After hearing his songs about a million times, I finally realized that a) I knew all the words, and b) I really loved his music. He truly is a phenomenon though; some clubs play his most popular songs ten times in one night. He's very handsome, does a mean cumbia, has a gorgeous voice, and wears shiny silver suits and sun glasses. He's constantly guest starring on one talk show or another, and drives the Chilean housewives NUTS. Basically, he's the Chilean Elvis.

So, in my constant search for new/live music, I found out that Américowould be concluded a 2 month long country-wide tour by performing in Santiago, at the Estadio Nacional. Of course I immediately sent out a message to all my friends: Américo performing in Santiago stop we must go stop I'm buy you all tickets stop.
(Ok so it wasn't a telegram, but if they were still around I would've sent one just like that. In reality I sent a facebook message)
All in all, seven of my friends decided to come along and the concert was FABULOUS!
Not quite as packed as I expected, the crowd was still boy-band crazed and absolutely over-joyed to be there.
Now I never got that into any of the boy bands, Spice Girls, etc. and yelling, screaming, squealing and fawning are also really not my style, but when Américo came out...
I thought my voice would be lost for a week.
A picture speaks a million words-or whatever cliche it is they say- but let me just add a few more comments before I put the pictures.

*Every song he would loosen his tie, and the crowd would scream. Then he'd take it off. More screaming. Then he'd unbutton one, two, and finally three buttons and do a sexy cumbia dance. My eardrums were at this point basically shattered. Then the song would end, more cheering, and he'd return for the next song in a new suit and start the process all over again.

*For one song, there was a little 2 min. movie showing the outside of a motel, and a car driving up. Then Américo appeared on stage, standing next to a bed, with a rose on it, and a bediside table topped with a glass of whiskey. He utilized all these props throughout the song and ended the song lanced on the bed in faux-sob.

*My family continues to make fun of me for going b/c his music is the classic, cliched romantic crap, but set to danceable, catchy cumbia with great electric guitar and bass solos.

*I have never felt more chilean than I did screaming the words to "Te Vas" while cumbia-ing as fast as I could.

OK you're ready. Here he is:

(note the unbuttoning)