By Lorena Flores, Al Día
GRAND PRAIRIE — It was an emotional night for Gloria Trevi fans on Saturday night at Verizon Theatre. The Mexican singer promised a night of strong feelings, and that's exactly what she delivered to a crowd that sang, danced and even cried along during her two-hour El Amor World Tour stop.
There are two firsts for Trevi in this tour. One is the fact that she is singing mostly cover songs, part of her new El Amor album that includes ballads from Latin singers from the '80s and '90s. The other first involves her male alter ego, Mr. Trevi, taking the stage for the first part of the show.
Onstage Mr. Trevi, who wore a sequined black suit, a hat and sunglasses, told the audience that for that night "he" was their man and there to seduce them.
The fans sang along to "Cama y Mesa" and "Como Yo Te Amo," both covers from El Amor, but as soon as the audience heard the first notes of one of Gloria's classics, the emotions erupted.
A medley that included '90s hits "Un Día Mas de Vida," "Ella Que Nunca Fue Ella" and "Mi Ángel de la Guarda" had everyone singing and dancing.
Traditionally, Trevi relies on several dancers for her live shows. This time, however, she brought a 14-member band and only one dancer.
Wearing a short dress (sequins, again) and her hair down, Mrs. Gloria — as she calls herself during the female half of the show — took over. She sang "Las Pequeñas Cosas," a 1984 hit from Argentine-Mexican singer Amanda Miguel, and next came a mashup of "I Will Survive" and her hit song "Todos Me Miran."
In keeping with the survivor theme, Trevi acknowledged to her audience that in two days she will be celebrating 11 years of freedom. She was released from a Mexican prison in 2004 after being found not guilty in a widely publicized corruption of minors case.
Her ordeal has become part of her music as well. Later in the concert, Trevi, alone on piano, sang one of her latest hits, "No Querias Lastimarme," followed by one of her classics, "Me Siento Tan Sola."
"Bad love has to die, so that good love can be born," said the 47-year-old singer before doing a new version of her 1991 song "Como Si Fuera la Primera Vez."
Since her release from prison, Trevi has become a pop diva, but in the late '80s and '90s she was known as a rebel who sang provocative songs and heartfelt ballads about loneliness. She's been called the "Mexican Madonna."
She returned to her rebel years with classics like "El Recuento de los Daños" and "Con los Ojos Cerrados," building to an encore of "Pelo Suelto" and "Dr. Psiquiatra."
At that point, the singer kneeled down to be closer to the audience, something she's done since her earliest days as a budding star. Gloria was back.
