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Whether they know it or not, most radio-listening gringos have heard Alejandro Sanz. In 2005 the Madrid native recorded a little duet with Shakira called “La Tortura” (“The Torture”) for her sixth studio album, Fijación Oral Vol. 1. When the dust had settled from this reggaeton nuke, it had become both singers’ most popular Spanish-language track and the fourth most successful song in Shakira’s career. Sanz co-wrote the Grammy-winning tune and costarred in its heavily aired pair of videos, which featured the two Latin pop stars in all manner of NC-17-rated positions.
Sanz earned his stripes as an industrious hit-maker in Spain during the Nineties. By stretching his songwriting range beyond romantic ballads and coordinating a few strategic collaborations with fellow Latin superstars, he expanded his fan base internationally, leading to his current status as the most commercially successful Spanish singer of all time. At age 38, Sanz is approaching career nirvana. His popularity exploded after “La Tortura,” as evidenced by the rapturous reception to “A la Primera Persona,” the lead single from his 2006 album El Tren de los Momentos. That song was his first to break into the Billboard Hot 100 chart, giving the album legs enough to warrant a special edition and a live recording, just released, of its corresponding tour. Saturday’s show is the long-awaited makeup for the canceled original June 30 date.
