Review | Review Belle Perez

“Enamorada boom-boom. Boom-boom, boom-boom, boom-boom. Enamorada boom-boom. Te toca a ti, te toca a ti.” That’s what it’s been sounding like in our heads all day. We owe all that joy between our ears to the wonderful party that Belle Perez gave in honor of her 25 years as a singer. We have known for some time that she has one of Flanders’ most beautiful voices. It was also known that she knows better than anyone else how to throw a Latin party. But just to be sure, we went to the Lotto Arena to check this again for you. Or as the French say: “Les apologies sont faites pour s’en servir.” Okay, if we’re honest, we’ll just admit that we were more than happy to be there. ’25 Years of Hits’ announced itself as a big party with a host of special guests and more than met expectations. In addition to a lot of great covers and a large number of her own hits, she also performed a sensitive duet with Christoff, a solid sing-along with Jeroen van der Boom, one with Gene Thomas and a series of bangers with none other than Natalia. No wonder the crowd couldn’t get enough and screamed loudly for more.

She was barely 24 years old when she first achieved success with ‘Hello World’. Still green behind the ears and with braids in her hair, she sang that the world should be a beautiful place for everyone. The conviction has remained, the positivity is still there, but Belle Perez is already seasoned. Now 25 years later, she opened her anniversary show with a short look back at how it all started and then immediately shifted a few gears higher and really kicked off the party with ‘El Ritmo Caliente’. The unadulterated Latin sound filled the Lotto Arena, fireworks surrounded the stage and the atmosphere was set.

Belle Perez and her band members had come for a party and so had the audience. During ‘Kom Wat Dichterbij’ with her first guest Gene Thomas, the roof of the Lotto Arena almost fell off for the first time. It hit the stage and the audience was completely involved in the atmosphere. It had become a real sing-along party. Anyone who says sing-along party in the Netherlands will end up with Jeroen van der Boom and his Toppers. His duet with Belle, ‘Jij en Ik/Tu y Yo’, was also a hit. The tropical rhythms of the congas and the sound of the brass section made you dream of palm trees and snow-white beaches. And then a beach party started with ‘Jij Bent Zo’. All brakes were released and the atmosphere shot further into the sky like a comet.

Fortunately for the operators of the Lotto Arena, there were also quieter numbers during this performance. The roof trusses could then relax for a while while the audience could enjoy ‘A Mi Manera (My Way)’ or ‘Burbujas De Amor’ by Juan Luis Guerra. We got a very catchy cover of ‘ Laat Me/Vivre’ by Ramses Shaffy and also a beautiful and intimate performance of ‘True Colors’ in which the piano occasionally got a dash of saxophone in the musical setting and the vocal work for Belle and her backing vocals were completely in the foreground. Such performances are food for the soul. Or as Belle Perez herself says: “Music remains our best friend. It’s always there. In good and bad days.”

And on those good days you can party hard. You can even party ‘badly’. Or how about a medley with songs from the ’80s? The fluorescent sunglasses went on and the visuals went back in time. ‘Vamos a la playa’, and ‘No Tengo Dinero’ by Righeira, ‘Bailando’ by Paradisio and ‘Freed From Desire’ by GALA were fused into one nostalgic moment and the audience loved it. Chairs were suddenly superfluous, hands went up and people sang and jumped along exuberantly. We were warmed up for the Gipsy Kings Medley. To tell you that it was a crazy party is actually an understatement; it was beyond delirious. And then there had to be a second part.

That took us to the Netherlands with Jeroen van der Boom, the exciting rhythms of Cuba and with ‘Alegria’ also to the magical world of Cirque Du Soleil. Belle Perez’s vocal qualities were fully appreciated here and she effortlessly transported us to a place of enchanting beauty. What a wonderful moment of beauty and pleasure. This also applied to the performance of ‘Hijo De La Luna’. For the occasion, Miguel Wiels had taken a seat in the middle of the Lotto Arena behind a mini grand piano. He had the honor of musically accompanying Belle Perez during this endearing cover of the Mecano hit. This was also a real treat for the ears and a well-deserved calm before the musical storm.

A few party songs later it was time for… Natalia. With her presence on ‘Belle Perez – 25 Years of Hits’, the dose of girl power was immediately doubled. ‘Jij Bent Zo’ was already a smashing duet, but ‘I’ve Only Just Begun to Fight’, ‘Waka Waka’ and ‘Let’s Get Loud’ were even more loose. Jan & Jan, the operators of the Lotto Arena, must undoubtedly have hung from the rafters to prevent the roof from literally falling off. What a wonderful party was going on here!

And Belle continued. Gloria Estefan’s ‘Conga’ moved the party back to Latin America where it headed straight to the final. By now, we probably don’t need to tell you that “Enamorada boom-boom. Boom-boom, boom-boom, boom-boom. Enamorada boom-boom. Te toca a ti, te toca a ti. …” became a tremendous success. No wonder the frenzied crowd shouted “We want more!” chanted before the last band members had left the stage.

By popular request, Belle returned and once again took her audience to the start of her career. ‘Hello World’ no longer sounded good and innocent, but stood like a rock. The power and the slightly rougher edge are the witnesses of 25 years of experience and maturity.

De setlist:

Part 1:

1. Hello World
2. The Hot Rhythm
3. Hail Mary
4. Honeybee
5. Droplets of Love
6. Let me/Vivre
7. True Colors
8. Come A Little Closer (duet with Gene Thomas)
9. I Want You (Gene Thomas)
10. A Mi Manera (My Way)
11. Crazy in Love
12. Three Drops of Holy Water
13. we will dance
14. Everyone Belongs To The World
15. Tend Me
16. Love Bubbles
17. Ik Hoor Bij Jou/El Ritmo De La Passion (duet with Christoff)
18. ’80s mix: Let’s go to the beach / I don’t have any money / Dancing / Freed From Desire
19. Gipsy Kings Medley: Fly / Ask Me La / Doll / Djobi, Djoba

Part 2:

1. Light Of My Life/Livin’ La Vida Loca
2. You and Me/Tu y Yo (duet with Jeroen van der Boom)
3. You Are So (duet Jeroen van der Boom)
4. Dime
5. Spain Mia
6. Cuba Medley
7. Happiness
8. Son of the Moon (met Miguel Wiels)
9. Bailale
10. La Bamba / Twist and Shout
11. I’ve Only Just Begun to Fight (duet met Natalia)
12. Waka Waka (duet with Natalia)
13. Let’s Get Loud (duet met Natalia)
14. Conga
15. Long Live Life (Chiquitan)
16. Mix: Dance Again / Only One In The World / The Rhythm of the Night / On The Floor
17. In love

Bis:

1. Hello World
2. The Dancing World