Don Omar PERFORMING ARTS

That was not the case Friday night with Don Omar's appearance at the Patriot Center. To make matters worse, this Puerto Rican reggaeton star's 60-minute set was not the show's only problem. The forward-facing speakers above the stage (and possibly the soundboard settings) turned his frenetic dance hits and romantic ballads into a muddy mix to those in the side sections of the arena, with the sounds of Omar's background vocalists (and what appeared to be Omar's own recorded vocals) often outweighing his harder-to-hear live vocals.

On songs such as "Ronca"and "Reportense," Omar and his accompanists aggressively chanted the vocals, with some of the audience joining in over the thumping Latin American rap-meets-dancehall reggae beat. Although Omar's band included a violinist and guitarist, their string tones were hidden below the programmed beats and the DJ's records. However, on "Salio el Sol," Omar's band could be heard sweetening the relentless reggaeton attack with whistling and background harmonies. In addition, Omar, a former preacher and current ladies' man, began grinding suggestively with his female dancers before stepping aside for his impressive, quick-footed male dancers. Despite the acoustic problems, when Omar slowed things down for syrupy, keyboard-heavy ballads such as "Cancion de Amor," or interacted with the crowd between songs, many women screamed their exuberance.

Yet just after Omar began upping the tempo again with the reggaeton-in-overdrive of "Dale Don Dale" and "Conteo," he abruptly left the stage and the lights came on. The audience began clamoring for more, but when they realized Omar was not returning, their cheers turned to jeers.