Mexican superstar singer Luis Miguel made his first-ever appearance in Salinas on Saturday to an appreciative
audience of more than 7,000.
"I want to thank the audience who doesn't speak Spanish for being here tonight," Luis Miguel said in English.
Noting he had no song with English lyrics, he told non-Spanish speakers to enjoy the music and the audible poetry
of the Spanish lyrics.
"Ask them," said Luis Miguel referring to his Latino fans.
Dressed in a black suit, he warmed up the audience at the Salinas Sports Complex with a series of songs from
his "Romances" CDs, including, "No me platiques más" and "Contigo en la distancia."
As he started singing his hit, "No sé tú," audience members began singing along, as they did with other well-known
songs, such as "La Gloria eres tú" and "Bésame mucho."
Luis Miguel interacted with his Salinas public, something rare for the star, who's well-known for being reserved.
"Here we have two options," he joked with the crowd as people began to sing out loud. "Do you finish the song or
do I finish it?"
Lights off. Luis Miguel leaves the stage. Mariachi Sol de México appeared to perform "El Son de la Negra," and
the melody filled the entire Sports Complex. The enthusiastic audience responded with cheers to the music, while
on the screen the Mexican flag appeared.
A few minutes later Luis Miguel reappeared in a charro suit to belt out more hits.
"He is fabulous," María Paredes of Salinas said in Spanish. "This is the first time I have attended one of his
concerts, and he has a voice that words cannot describe. He has a voice that attracts you. He is a perfectionist."
Women and men alike said they thoroughly enjoyed the concert. "It's worth what we paid for it," Jesús Villicaña
of Salinas said in Spanish. "I'm glad they did this type of event in Salinas. It's good for Salinas and good for
the people. It's important to bring stars of this magnitude to Salinas."
Although the show was not sold out, many audience members said it was by far the best Latino concert ever in Salinas.
Margarita, Claudia and Ben Leclerc came to Salinas from Santa Rosa to see Luis Miguel, after attending his Friday
concert in Concord.
Ruth Masters, who was in a wheelchair, came from San José with her sister, Sharon Masters. She's seen Luis Miguel
a total of six times.
"He's simply the best," Ruth Masters said.
The lines stretch from the Salinas Community Center to the Sports Complex on Saturday as fans await the Luis Miguel concert.