Enrique Iglesias co-wrote Jennifer Lopez's current single, "Dance Again," and now the two longtime friends are taking the next step in a musical collaboration. They will be co-headlining a tour that kicks off July 14th in Montreal and wraps up September 2nd in Orlando.
"Jennifer and I have known each other for quite some years, we both spoke about it, and we thought it was a good idea," Iglesias said of the pairing during a conference call with reporters. "The ones that made the decision were Jennifer and myself because we are the ones that are gonna be on stage."
Package tours have become increasingly common in recent years for reasons that range from economic to artistic, but Iglesias admitted that he was a reluctant convert to the idea. "If you would have asked me five years ago about co-headlines, I would have said, 'Oh, man, I don’t know,'" he told Rolling Stone during the call. "And the reason why I started getting into co-headlines is because I, myself, started doing it at one point. I never really believed in it until I experienced it myself."
One thing that changed his mind about co-headlining a tour was seeing the crowd response. "I realized that a lot of these fans, they’re not your fans and vice versa, and that actually works in a positive way when the show is good, because the fans leave with a completely different perspective," he said. "And hopefully, by the end of the show, Jennifer’s fans will be my fans, and my fans will be Jennifer’s fans."
He also understands the business value. "We know that economically, [in] the U.S. and around the world, it’s not the best of times," he said. "So fans do get to see two acts for the price of one, which is also a great thing."
For Lopez, who toured with ex-husband Marc Anthony, among others, being a veteran of these kinds of bills means she knows the enthusiasm it generates among the audience. "It really is a gift for the fans to be able to see a few different artists they like, or to be exposed to a new artist," she said. "We have put together something that’s gonna be really exciting for the fans, and that’s what kind of motivated me to be part of it. This is a ticket where people would be like 'Wow, I loved it.'"
The two said in the call that they plan to perform together on the tour, something that should be a lot of fun if they bring to the stage the same playfulness they exhibited at times during the interview. When the question was brought up as to who would close the shows, it generated a show of modesty. "I think that Enrique should close," Lopez said. "I’ll go first [and] I’ll be home in time to put the babies to bed."
"I’m a fan of Jennifer’s. She’s an unbelievable performer. So I’ll be watching," he said. "I was even thinking at some point maybe I should just watch from the audience."
But Lopez insisted that Iglesias should finish off the night. "All those screaming girls for you, you have to close," she said.
