Julio Iglesias fills El Rocio full of magic in a benefit concert

Julio Iglesias fills El Rocio full of magic in a benefit concert

More than 8,000 people come to see the singer some days before he will perform in Valencia on August 21st.

"This land of El Rocío is magic. The magic is in the air, in the place." And the magic flooded the Almontean village in the concert of a plethoric Julio Iglesias who opened his 'minitour' through Spain immersing himself in the crowds. Eight thousand excited spectators completely filled a Rocio Arena that seemed too small for the concert organized by the Brotherhood Matrix of Almonte to benefit an orphanage in the Congo. The singer gave up his fee ($425,000) because "each one of us has to help as much as we can those who need it the most," said the singer.
Julio Iglesias was happy throughout his performance of nearly 135 minutes. Dressed in his immaculate navy blue suit with vest, with an enviable figure, and more eager than ever, he recalled for the ecstasy of his staunch supporters his major successes, including "La vida sigue igual,' the song that catapulted him to fame in Benidorm 41 years ago, something not often included in his usual concerts. But Iglesias felt supported by the intimate arena, with a devoted audience, who enjoyed it as seldom before. 'Magic', as he said, had entered his body and the Madrid singer did not scrimp on anything.

With a perfect montage of light and sound, an extraordinary choral accompaniment, and an affinity for the stage, the smash hits that led him to sell nearly 300 million records were falling one by one: 'La carretera,' 'Natalie,' 'De niña a mujer,' 'Abrázame,' 'Manuela,' 'Hey'... and a long repertoire. He changed the refrains when he wanted, adapting them to El Rocio, Andalusia and Spain.

"Andalusia is a huge land, for this reason I live in it. Its strength, its influence is seen and felt in the Caribbean and this is true," he said. He recalled that his mother's ancestors were from Huelva, that El Rocío has always impressed as a social and religious phenomenon, and the people responded to his short speeches with thunderous ovations. The applause and the compliments of his fans turned into a real clamor, with thousands of people dancing to the sound of the Caribbean themes sung by Julio Iglesias, already nearing 1:30 in the morning, on a night that began a few minutes before 11, a night full of magic. It was a first class social event, and Julio Iglesias demonstrated that he is at the peak of his international career, the most honored of all living singers on earth .

It was not just one concert more. It was a 'show', a true spectacle. A performance prior to the dates in Girona (13th and 14th of August) and Castellon (18th) to finish in Valencia, on August 21st, at the Plaza de Toros. In this way, he will close his national tour before returning to the world tour that continues in September with several concerts in Israel, where all of the tickets have already been sold out for months.

from: julioiglesias.com

(Source: http://www.lasprovincias.es/valencia/20090812/vida-ocio/julio-iglesias-llena-magia-20090812.html)