Pitbull with special guest Iggy Azalea

August 3, 2022 – PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel NJ

Review by Chris Yates // Photography by Estelle Massry

Can’t Stop Us Now Tour

Mr Worldwide”, “Mr305”, aka the Latin pop sensation Pitbull paid a visit to New Jersey with the perfectly complemented Australian rap & pop star Iggy Azalea opening the evening.

Elvis who? I’m still pleasantly dizzy from all the hip gyrating of both Iggy & Pitbull. They can certainly shake their money makers like no other and did so all night to the joy of the over 17,000 screaming fans in the more than sold out PNC Arts Center on a hot summer night!

The show was great and Iggy looked stunning with her golden locks and beautiful, bodacious figure as she strutted purposefully, and sang flawlessly, flanked by her beautifully talented dancers all night. She twerked like no one else can and each time she did, the crowd went wild. She knows what she’s got and she (t)works it to her advantage. ; ) The stage was set for her with large LED screens showing cool, clubby video backdrops. The colors were amazing and it was fun to watch. She’s a great entertainer and authentically looked like she was enjoying herself smiling with her dancers throughout her performance.

When Iggy finished, DJ Ammo kept the crowd dancing as we all awaited Pitbull. The audience was made up of just about every mom in the Garden State and their teenage daughters. It looked like (appropriately so) a Miami club scene. Even some shaved headed lookalike dads were dressed like Pitbull to the point where I wasn’t quite sure if the Miami raised Latin star was in multiple places at once. I was tempted to ask each of them for their autograph just in case.

There are no slow numbers at Pitbull’s show. It was a party! And he ensured this by beginning his show with “Don’t Stop the Party” which set the tone for the whole evening. There are so many hits to Pitbull’s repertoire that I didn’t even realize I knew almost every word to every song. Pitbulls stage design was epic. A grand, illuminated staircase was showcased front and center for the entire performance while the backdrop LED screens changed from images as if you are on a mega yacht, to clubs, to beach scenes, lavish hotels, and more. Basically yachts, champagne, caviar, and Pitbull as he sang all his hits to the adoring fans (and their moms). Each song ended with large bursts of smoke and blue light, and Pitbull was a ball of energy, dressed all in black and donning a smile from ear to ear all night as he touched his heart in appreciation for his adoring fans while he absorbed their thundering applause.

Pitbull was also flanked by his six amazing dancers known as “The Most Bad Ones” along with his band inclusive of drums, percussion, guitars, and grand piano. It was a lot of fun where not a fan were in seats the entire night, including myself. As a Jersey native, I have never seen the Arts Center so packed and rightfully so.