After seemingly every other billboard in Kyiv since the summer showed posters of Jennifer Lopez with massive earrings and bright pink lipstick announcing her arrival, the much anticipated concert finally took place in Kyiv’s Sports Palace on Nov. 13.
Jennifer Lopez, or J. Lo, as she is commonly referred to, performed in
Ukraine for the first time, not counting her last year private show at a
wedding party in Crimea. Though she was apparently unavailable for the press,
the diva was caught leaving Premier Place hotel, where she stayed, and walking
through the Passage, Kyiv’s high-end fashion store zone, pleasantly surprising
passers-by with her easygoing and friendly attitude to people who approached
her.
Unlike her counterpart, Madonna, who was three hours late for her summer
show in Kyiv, the concert began only one hour later than the time indicated on
the ticket. Maybe her relative punctuality had to do with J. Lo’s four-year-old
twins accompanying her on the world tour that the celebrity mother had to put
into bed. Or maybe the distraction came from her 25-year-old boyfriend slash
dancer from the supporting ballet group. Either way, the timing was just fine for
those who had to go to work the next day.
The show began with elegant Broadway-style elements of tap dance which
smoothly transferred into spectacular appearance of Lopez with her saxophone-themed
hit “Get right.”
Lopez then sang and danced through all her hottest hits, all the way to
the early days of her career. Yet some songs pleasantly surprised with new music
arrangements, like in her very first hit. “If You Had My love” was done in a
slow mode, to the accompaniment of acoustic guitar alone. When it came to one
of her latest hits, “On The Floor,” Lopez began it with a classical lambada song.
Seeing her live brings appreciation of her good looks, especially since she’s
43. Even though one may spot a few wrinkles, they quickly fade away as she
dances. Her voice, which may not have a wide range, is somehow irresistibly
pleasant to hear.
Lopez is certainly an experienced performer, keeping the crowd tuned. The
best part of the show, in fact, was her contact with the audience. Not only did
she personally take flowers and teddy bears from the fans, but also she managed
to pronounce “I love you” in Ukrainian. It was such an emotional moment that it
was easy to forgive the typical foreigner mistake she made by saying “the
Ukraine.”
J. Lo’s beautiful suits also revealed the most talked about part of her
body. Being rather critical when it comes to assessing women’s bodies, I have
to admit that her curves, and especially the buttocks, are very nice indeed. It
is so even despite the fact that Ukrainians don’t quite have the “bootylicious”
culture as they do in the United States. But cultural differences aside, her
bottom is nearly not as big as it might look in some of her recent music
videos, and it is well structured in terms of muscles.
Trust me, it certainly looked impressive when she shook it.
Kyiv Post staff
writer Maryna Irkliyenko can be reached at [email protected].
