Sparks fly, fans swoon as Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony visit Dallas

by Preston Jones
pjones@star-telegram.com

DALLAS -- I'll get this much out of the way: Jennifer Lopez is, without question and unless I'm going seriously blind, pregnant.

Now that that's been dealt with, we can get to the matter at hand.

They say great couples balance each other out, adding or subtracting just what's needed to make their other half as whole as they can be. It's a line of thought that was made flesh Tuesday night at the American Airlines Center as Jennifer Lopez and her husband, Marc Anthony performed en concierto.

He cut his teeth as a Latin pop star, belting out visceral Spanish-language hits in that clear, ringing voice of his; she broke out as an actress, circling back around to singing lightweight pop songs that detoured into Spanish-language fluff, becoming a brand unto herself and helping keep the tabloids in business. They are two distinct personalities elevated by the other's presence in their lives -- Anthony's not one for gloss (although it's clear from watching him perform that he loves the spotlight) while she's not exactly known for having artistic credibility beyond MTV or the multiplex. Together, they make for one (mostly) impressive, albeit long, evening of entertainment.

While this tour is billed as a "co-headlining" gig, there was no mistaking who the majority of the not-quite-full room was there to see -- but they were made to wait for 90 minutes as painfully unfunny comedian Joey Vega took the stage for a mercifully brief set, followed by a solid hour-long showing from Anthony.

The bulk of his set were songs from his Spanish-language albums -- his obligatory English-language singles (You Sang to Me and I Need to Know) were tossed in as well -- and the charismatic vocalist worked the adoring audience for all he was worth. Seemingly electrified by his 12-piece band's astonishing sound, Anthony would egg on the musicians, all the while dancing as if he couldn't help himself. It was pure sonic showmanship that laid bare Anthony's years of experience; he posed for pictures, blew kisses into the crowd and let them sing verses of his own songs like a pro.

There was little time for introspection, as Anthony kept the vibe and the room popping -- from first song to last, the humble superstar emitted enough energy to power several small countries.

The lights dimmed for a brief moment and soon, his wife Lopez appeared to the strains of current single Do It Well. Whereas Anthony could belt with the best of 'em and hold notes until his eyes bugged out, Lopez's voice has always been her biggest liability.

She's not a vocalist so much as she's an intense physical performer that gets plenty of mileage out of her infectious smile and ceaselessly gyrating hips. The only problem when you're, from all outward appearances, in the early stages of pregnancy is that it becomes difficult to execute the moves you once so deftly did. No worries -- a small army of back-up dancers joined Lopez onstage to twist, bounce and otherwise shake it like Jenny from the block used to.

That thin, reedy voice also can't stand up to a live band, which fluctuated in size from six to nine members and frequently threatened to drown out Lopez completely. Given her well-publicized inclinations towards perfectionism, why on Earth would one of pop's most visible stars embark on her inaugural tour and not make sure that A) she could move like she needed to and B) tweak the live arrangements so that her voice wasn't lost amid a wall of instrumentation?

But if these aspects were bothering her, you'd never know. While she seemed much less ingratiating than her husband, Lopez did appear touched by the raucous reception. Her set was a few songs longer (and hotter - literally; the diva employed scads of mini skyrockets, walls of flame and other indoor incendiaries) than her husband's, but less fulfilling.

And, of course, the finale featured what everyone came to see: Husband and wife serenading each other, gamely attempting to create the illusion that they were singing to one another alone, without a few thousand eyes absorbing the scene in a weird bit of ticketed voyeurism. The two sang as one, Anthony's strong voice trying not to squash Lopez's lesser voice, making you believe that, despite all of the fevered attention and arguably unnecessary drama, they just might bring out the best in each other.

Preston Jones is the Star-Telegram pop music critic, 817-390-7713