Julio Iglesias
has officially postponed his upcoming tour due to the uncertain path of
Hurricane Dorian, which is still set to affect a part of the East Coast
in the U.S., Billboard has learned. According to a press
release, the most important thing for the Spanish artist is his
audience’s safety and he’s looking forward to having a great night with
his fans as soon as everything goes back to normal.
The dates
postponed include September concerts slated for Ft. Myers, Georgia and
Boston. New dates will be announced soon. Tickets previously purchased
can be used for the new dates.
Over the long Labor Day weekend, Dorian hit the Bahamas
as a category 5 hurricane with sustained winds reaching 185 miles per
hour and gusts of up to 220 miles per hour. Artists including Pitbull and Marco Antonio Solis also postponed concerts due to the hurricane.
The following Julio Iglesias tour dates have been postponed:
Sept. 14 -- Boston, MA @ Agganis Arena
Sept. 20 -- Ft. Myers, FL @ Hertz Arena
Sept. 22 -- Atlanta, GA @ Infinite Energy Center
Sept. 28 -- Atlantic City, NJ @ Ocean Resort Casino
according to julioiglesias.com, the following US tour dates have been posted:
9/14- BOSTON, MA
9/20- FT MYERS, FL
9/22- ATLANTA, GA
9/28- ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
Tickets for Boston go on sale on Friday, April 12th
Monday, February 18, 2019
Julio Iglesias reflects on 50 years of music
By Rich Lopez
Updated
Before Miguel, Ricky Martin, Luis Fonsi or even Selena, the Latin
crossover into the mainstream had been paved by Julio Iglesias. Over the
course of his career, he’s released 80 albums, garnered Grammy awards
and has sold more than 300 million albums. Now back on the road in the
United States, he reflects on all that history in his 50th anniversary
tour, which heads to Midland on Thursday.
Iglesias is also a joker. During the
interview he chatted rapidly with an onslaught of punchlines and laughs.
That’s quite an ironic impression for a man who’s made a career of
being a romantic, sexy crooner. He’s personable with humorous anecdotes
and rapid-fire wit. Among topics he discussed was his recent Lifetime
Achievement Award from the Recording Academy.
MRT: Congratulations on the award. You join Elvis
Presley, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan and others on this prestigious
recognition. What does it mean to you?
Iglesias: I never expected
it this year. It’s such a great award for me. I’ve had a lucky time with
my life and singing with Willie Nelson and Diana Ross and the Beach
Boys.
MRT: You’re celebrating 50 years, but you were singing well before you debuted in America.
Iglesias: Yes, yes. I had sung all over the world all my life, but I hadn’t sung in America until 1981.
MRT: The lifetime achievement award, this 50th anniversary tour reflects on what you’ve done. What do you work toward now?
Iglesias: I have to say “no”
to the things that distract me. I have to say “no” because I can.
(laughs) I’m 75 years old and I continue dreaming because “why not?”
MRT: What do you like about your career?
Iglesias: I love that I get
to do 160 concerts all over the world. I used to play to 20,000 people
and now it’s 2,000 but I love it all. But I do need my time and I need
to breathe.
MRT: Your signature is the romance and emotion in your music. Is it a task to relay those feelings each night to your audiences?
Iglesias: When I’m singing. I
need to have my passion stronger. I have to keep that moment of passion
for the people. I was in China in November, and many times I was
concerned to keep myself strong enough onstage for two hours to deliver
that passion. At the same time, I need to breathe, I need to take time.
MRT: You almost
single-handedly pushed Latin music into mainstream America. Now, music
is filled with Latin artists across several genres.
Iglesias: Yes, but music
changes a lot. It is like painting. For me, Nat King Cole, Frank
Sinatra, Elvis Presley, those melodies are very understandable to me.
They keep my brain together. (laughs) I have listened to some of today’s
but not too much. I go through it from time to time. People come to see
artists differently.
MRT: Where do you call home?
Iglesias: I choose the moon. so I can see everything. But, I actually do not have a place because I’m everywhere right now.
MRT: Your sense of humor is surprising since for so long, you came off as this serious, romantic singer.
Iglesias: (laughs) I have to keep it, because life will be very boring. I love having it.
MRT: How do you describe this show?
Iglesias: I go through my
songs that belong to all the generations. I’m not very modest. (laughs)
We will go to the past and then back to the future. Maybe I will sing
something in French, but I do sing in both Spanish and English. I’ve
sung in China, but I will not sing Chinese. But I might sing for you in
Chinese if you ask me for a song. (laughs)
Published
Julio Iglesias switched between languages throughout his Friday night
set at Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land, finally admitting that
even he wasn't sure where to land.
"I don't know if to speak Spanish or to speak English," he said. "I have an idea — Chinese."
It was a joke, but Iglesias could have followed through. He has
recorded in more than a dozen languages, including French, Italian,
English, Spanish and, yes, Chinese. His most recent album, 2017's "Dois
Corações" is in Portuguese.
Friday's show was the first on a 50th
anniversary tour and Iglesias' first of the year. He was joined by six
band members and five backup singers inside what he called an "amazing
theater, beautiful."
"Come on guys, lets sing together!" he frequently shouted.
The crowd didn't need much prompting. Fans, mostly women, frequently shouted "Lindo!" "Chulo!" "Te queremos!" ("Beautiful!" "Cute!" "We love you!")
Iglesias frequently closes his eyes when he
sings. At 75, his voice is still smooth and velvety. Sound problems
plagued the nearly two-hour set, from feedback to low volume. Iglesias
handled it as best he could, eventually expressing a rightful
impatience.
"Que esta pasando con el sonido esta noche?" he asked. "What's happening with the sound tonight?"
The band and singers gave every song a dreamy
quality, from "Amor, Amor, Amor" to "Moralito" to "Échame a Mi la
Culpa." Iglesias sat in the middle of the stage, frequently stopping to
take a drink or entertain the crowd with his cheeky humor.
"Tango is the music that, if you dance, you
get pregnant," he said before introducing a pair of dancers. "Even if
you are taking the pill."
Iglesias included several pop standards in
the set, including "Crazy," "Always on My Mind" and a surprisingly
effective cover of "Careless Whisper." He joked that Willie Nelson
couldn't be there because he "has a new girlfriend" during "To All the
Girls I've Loved Before."
Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love"
was a sweet duet with the crowd. Amid all the cheers and sighs, the
lyrics seemed to become a mantra.
Julio Iglesias has a few secrets for staying in shape at 75 years old.
“I don’t drink more wine than I have to. I
like wine very much. All wines. I do exercise for two, three hours a
day. I swim,” he says. “I swim naked, by the way, thank you.”
The Spanish icon says he does it all to be
his best self onstage. He kicks off a 50th anniversary tour Friday at
Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land.
Iglesias has sold millions of records and set the stage for a wave of rossover singers, including his son Enrique Iglesias, that continues
to this day. He has recorded in 14 languages across more than 80 albums.
His first album, “Yo Canto,” was released in 1969. His most recent was 2017’s “Dois Corações” in Portuguese.
The current tour, he says, is a way “to thank
the people, to enjoy the time that still exists in my life.” He also
talked about career highs, playing the Astrodome and longtime pal Willie
Nelson.
Why was it important for you to commemorate 50 years?
I haven’t played the United States in a long
time. I used to play very often. I spent a few years writing a book and
doing other things, many things in my life. I decided to go back on the
stage because I thought I was dying a little. The Recording Academy gave
me the Lifetime Achievement award this year, and I’m excited for that.
It’s for the people, from Finland to China, who give me the opportunity
to still sing.
What moments stand out when you think back over your career?
Oh, my goodness. It’s always the people. They
belong to you, and you belong to them. If you ask me which is the
biggest marriage in my life, it’s the people. There is nothing more
important in my life than the people. My family leads a beautiful life
because of the people. My friends, everybody lives a good life around me
because of the people.
What were your goals in the beginning?
I didn’t have any idea. I was just a dreamer.
That’s all I had, was a dream. To have a dream and to have it made —
that is 50 years of place by place, conversation by conversation, music,
attitude. Those things that I sacrificed were nothing in my life. It’s
the biggest gift that I’ve ever had in my life.
You became a crossover pioneer, from
Spanish to English and other languages, too. Is it rewarding to see so
many artists continuing that legacy today?
I’m the papi, that’s correct. I am the one
who started to do (different) languages. I played in Chinese, in
Japanese, in French, in Italian, in Portuguese, in Spanish, in English,
in German. I did that because I was supposed to be much more involved in
the culture and the language of the people. It’s not easy to sing in
Chinese, by the way. It’s a question of strength. It’s a question of
discipline. Is there a song that you never get tired of performing to this day?
The passion comes onstage, always. You have a
terrible headache or whatever happens, and you go onstage, everything
disappears. You make love with the public, and you feel like you're
still a young guy. The audience makes you younger. Audiences changed my
life completely.
Do you have any memories of visiting Houston in the past?
I remember I used to play the Astrodome (in
1986 and ’87 during RodeoHouston). Now I’m not so popular. I’m not so
“in.” So I go to a little, beautiful theater, which is perfect for me.
The most important thing is to perform so I play in Houston with 2,000
people or 50,000 people. Every time is perfect.
You’re good friends with Texas icon Willie Nelson, who you teamed up with for two duets.
He is the most natural singer I ever met in
my life. He reminds me very much of Sinatra. He’s one of the classic
artists in life. He’s always being himself. He’s exactly the way people
think he is.
Julio Iglesias joins the Greats: Sinatra, Elvis and The Beatles
February 8, 2019
Cadena Ser
The Spanish artist adds his name
to the select list of legendary figures such as Elvis Presley, Frank
Sinatra, The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin.
Half
a century after Julio Iglesias took to the stage for the first time,
the Spaniard is going to add a new milestone to his career, one that
places him among the greatest of the English-language music world. This
Sunday in Los Angeles, California, the Recording Academy recognizes the Spanish singer with a historic Lifetime Achievement Award for his long-lasting career and influence over several generations.
With
this award, Iglesias joins giants such as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra,
Bob Dylan and The Beatles - all of these artists have previously
received this prestigious award. A real achievement for the former
footballer who saw an injury put an end to his career on the pitch. In
the subsequent rehabilitation period, Iglesias learned to play the
guitar and created his first couple of songs; this marked the beginning
of his “second” career - full of prizes, great records and recognition.
A biographical series about Grammy-winning Spanish global hit singer Julio Iglesias is in the works. Miami-based Disney Media Distribution Latin America (DMDLA)
has announced at the LA Screenings that it has optioned the worldwide
rights to “Confessable Secrets,” the memoir of Iglesias’ former manager,
Alfredo Fraile.
Fraile is credited for having steered the singing career of Iglesias,
who was a reserve goalkeeper for Spain’s Real Madrid until serious
injuries from a car accident ruined his aspirations for a career in
soccer. Fraile was with Iglesias for 15 years, during which Iglesias
sold hundreds of millions of albums in 14 languages worldwide.
The 13-episode series will be co-produced with Miami-based shingle
Cinemat, said Fernando Barbosa, senior VP and general manager, Walt
Disney Media Distribution, Latin America & U.S. Hispanic Market.
“We started the bio-series genre in 2015 with our show about the
singer Juan Gabriel, which scored high ratings on Telemundo,” said
Barbosa.
“We think the biopic genre is an evergreen property; something that will be watched time and time again,” he said.
Julio Iglesiasstarts
his new world tour on September 10th in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Then he
will continue in the United Arab Emirates with two concerts at the Dubai
Opera House, on October 1st and 2nd, in Tel Aviv (at the Nokia Arena,
on Oct. 6th) and in Moscow (at the Kremlin, on Oct. 17th).
McAllen Performing Arts Center