Of course, it shouldn't be that surprising when the artist in question is Latin hurricane Ricky Martin. He's putting his bon-bons--er, we mean "stage chops" on display all across America this fall, and the consensus of his fans thus far is that those, ahem, "chops" are in the finest shape imaginable.
Ricky gave MTV News full-on access to his tour kick-off at the Miami Arena on October 20 and 21, and in addition to John Norris' fresh new interview with the sultry singer, we captured the action on video while the whole spicy spectacle went down.
As you'll see within, Martin's giving the younger members of his audience their first taste of Vegas: costumes glittering with sequins aplenty; some wacky Cirque du Soleil-slash-De La Guarda high-flying acrobatics; and dancers shimmying around on treadmills in a conceptual meeting of the minds between Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity" and Paul Verhoeven's "Showgirls." All this set to his rippingly energetic music.
John Norris: How are you feelin'?
Ricky Martin: That is the question.
John: Minutes away from going on. Are you, like, pumped? Is it nerves?
Ricky: Anxiety will always be there, I guess. Keeps me alive.
John: That's probably good, not to feel overconfident.
Ricky: No, that should never happen. I did my yoga, and we've been rehearsing for a couple of weeks now, and the chemistry you will feel onstage with the band and the dancers is very at ease. A lot of comfort. But it's all about sweating right now.
John: You are no stranger to big-scale tours. You've toured the U.S. many times. You've played [Madison Square] Garden. You've done big shows. And yet I think that there's a different feeling this year. Do you feel it?
Ricky: Well, when it comes to America, it's going to be a little more hectic. I've been able to perform in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, but we're doing 28 concerts before the year is over. So we're talking about lots of back to back, one after [another]. We're here in Miami two nights in a row, then we're doing Tampa one day in the middle, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York...
John: Do you keep your stamina up for this? I mean, is it a challenge?
Ricky: I'm ready. I've been doing so many interviews for the past... maybe since the Grammys, it's been about promoting -- promoting this new album, promoting what I've been doing -- that every time I sit into a chair to do makeup with my makeup artist and so on, [I say] "When are we gonna do the show? Let's just get out there and do the show!" But it's great. I'm not complaining. Once again, the team that I'm working with, it took 120 people, onstage and backstage...
John: Including some pretty amazing dancers. There's dancing like people haven't seen, including acrobatics. Were these your ideas or [choreographer] Tina Landon's?
Ricky: To be quite honest, I'm talking about the team. People like [choreographer] Jamie King, for example, is someone who is so talented, the way he looks at things. Of course I tell him where I am, where I'm coming from, and where I want to go, and how I want to affect the audience, but he just comes with great ideas. And I have to give him a lot of credit.
Ricky: Yeah, but do we talk about these things? It's the kind of show where you can't go and smoke a cigarette in the middle of the show, 'cause you'll miss something. It's not overwhelming, but I think it's the best! I hope you like it if you see it.
John: I have not been this blown away visually by a show since, like, Michael Jackson toured years ago.
Ricky: Whoa, talking about Mr. Jackson, all my respects. He definitely has a lot to do with my career. He's the legend; El Maestro, you know? From him, we learn a lot, and definitely he will always be a part of my life.
John: Do you think your average Ricky Martin fan comes to see you for the music, or is it the more visual aspect of the show, if you know what I mean?
Ricky: Well, what I'm concerned about is music. It's to teach, to educate -- we've talked about this before -- to let people know, quote-unquote, what "Latin" sounds are. And what I am made of. But we cannot leave without a little bit of that shakin'.... It's part of it.
John: We talked with so many people who've said, "Well, we're here for the booty."
Ricky: Awesome. You know what? It's so beautiful to be able to go out there and see different people from different generations, different sexes, just enjoying the show. That's what I'm up for.
Positively radiating with enthusiasm over the upcoming jaunt, Martin cheered about his stage show, the probability of additional dates, and what might end up on the set list. (Sadly, an "Unplugged" rendition of Menudo's "Hold Me" was not mentioned.)
As a public service to pop fans everywhere, MTV News is supplying the itinerary, ticket sale dates and times, and (as an extra added bonus) RealVideo of the announcement interview in its entirety [click above]. Now all you have to do is prepare yourself to see Ricky Martin up close...
John Norris: So how excited are you about this tour?
Ricky Martin: I'm really happy. Let me tell you, to be on stage is what I look forward to, always. It's addictive. [It's] where you have the opportunity to have that immediate reaction, you know? It's fascinating. I've been doing it since I was twelve years old.... I did a couple of concerts last year here in the USA. I did New York and Miami and Los Angeles....
JN: Sold out [Madison Square] Garden, I might add.
RM: It was beautiful. It was gorgeous. And I want to feel that again, hopefully. We'll start the tour October 21. [It's] the first part of the tour, because we'll be doing it for maybe eight months.
JN: Speaking of October, I gotta ask you the question that's probably on the mind of a lot of Americans.... Why do we have to wait 'til October to see you live?
RM: Well, take it one step at a time. We gotta do things right. We've been travelling a lot. We've been promoting the album. Right now we're about to release a second single, which is "She's All I Ever Had." We just shot the video. And it's been only a year since I toured in the United States, so... we don't want to be too obsessive, nor compulsive. We want to do things right. We're putting a new show together. You're gonna be seeing a great band. The visual affects are going to be amazing. A class A concert. Definitely.
JN: As you mentioned, a tour in the States is not new to you, but there are going to be fans who are seeing you for the first time.
RM: Definitely. I'm going to, like, 15 cities. You'll have the Latin touch. You'll be dancing a lot in the show, definitely. We're, like, 15 people on stage. We're talking an amazing band. People that I've worked with for many years. People that know the real meaning of the word fusion. And that's exactly what we want to share with the audience, in this case. Yes, we do want to make a statement... of course.
JN: Got a set list worked out? Is it going to be old material? New material? Combination?
RM: A little bit of everything. I mean, we're talking about, once again, eight years of being on the road, and I want to talk about this. I want to talk about my life, for those who don't know who I am, or for those who are actually starting to get to know my music. I want to let you know my ups and downs in life when I'm on stage. It's going to be awesome.
JN: Life must be pretty perfect for the moment, I must think.
RM: "Livin' La Vida Loca," literally! If you see my schedule, man, it's pretty hectic, and I'm...taking it one day at a time, and I'm doing my prayers and my meditations, 'cause you need it. For you, you know, to keep your feet on the ground, you need to you know, once again, to be spiritual. And like I always said, I want to do this for a long time, and for that to happen, you've got to keep things as simple as they can get.
