Akon/Pitbull entertain audience

Hip-hop fans had eagerly anticipated the Akon and Pitbull concert July 10 at the Don Haskins Center, and after waiting in line, coping with the El Paso heat and an unbearable delay, they were greatly compensated with a bittersweet performance.

When the lights went off announcing the beginning of the concert, the crowd stood up screaming. Surprisingly, Akon opened the event, leaving concert guest Pitbull to perform at the end.

Akon made his appearance wearing a blue shirt and jeans. He greeted the fans and started out with some notable songs, such as "We Takin' Over," followed by "I'm So Paid" and "Soul Survivor."

During the concert, Akon asked for a moment of silence to honor the memory of the king of pop, Michael Jackson.

The Senegalese-American singer later teased the fans and continued his performance with more of his top chart hits like "No Matter," "What You Got," "Dangerous," "I Wanna Love You," "Bartender" and "Smack That." He even sang pieces of T-Pain's "I'm in luv (Wit a Stripper)" while actually stripping off his clothes and throwing them to the frantic fans. This little stunt really got the crowd going, especially the ladies.

If throwing some of his clothes at the public wasn't enough for him, he also threw himself into the energized crowd four times!

Despite the fact that the concert was behind schedule, (it was programmed to start at 8:00 p.m. but started at 9:10 p.m.), and some of Akon's songs sounded much like playback, his performance was still very enjoyable. The crowd was pumped and sang along to his music.

At the end of his performance, Akon left the stage to fellow guest Johnny Twotime. This was one of the low points of the concert, and the crowd displayed somewhat of a lack of interest. The fire created by Akon did not carry on to the next performance. Afterwards, the concert went to a short intermission.

Disc jockey Patti Diaz from radio station Power 102 then introduced Cuban-American singer Pitbull, whose performance really woke up the crowd. Fans became noticeably louder and bouncy when he made entrance with the song "Bojangles."

Reggaeton and hip hop singer Pitbull also rocked: "Go Girl," "Blanco," "Shooting Star," "Move, Shake, Drop Remix," "Pásame la Botella," "Fuego," "Ay Chico (Lengua Afuera)," "Toma," "Culo," "Shake Remix," "The Anthem," "Krazy," and his most recent hits "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" and "Hotel Room Service." With this impressive list of songs, fans rocked the Don Haskins Center with their cheers and dancing, which greatly exceeded that of Akon's performance

Dressed in a suit, Pitbull, Mr. 305, stole the show. Drums, a DJ and a keyboard accompanied him on stage to amplify the spanglish singer's hits. El Paso fans were screaming, singing along and dancing through the whole performance. He presented old hits as well as the most recent ones with great enthusiasm. Even though he was second on the bill, he gave the performance of a headliner and the crowd took note of that too.

The concert's set up, on the other hand, was another story. The fans sitting in the far rows didn't have a very good view, and the lack of a screen amplifying the stage made it more difficult. The lighting was very simple, as well as the stage decoration. There wasn't anything too fancy to create a stellar experience. Fortunately, the fans made the most out of both presentations, and no matter where they were sitting, everyone seemed to be having a blast.

Five Miners Picks.

Cristina Diaz may be reached at prospector@utep.edu.